Paris Saint-Germain took the advantage in their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg at Emirates Stadium.
Luis Enrique’s boys held on to the lead with a composed display that kept Arsenal under pressure. PSG will head into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7 as favorites to reach the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan as they look to win the tournament for the first time.
When Arsenal’s players gathered for a pre-match huddle in the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his teammates to give everything as he roared, “If we don’t have the ball, we die.”
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Furthermore, a video message from Arteta played on the Emirates screens struck a similarly rousing chord as the Spaniard urged fans to raise the roof.
But PSG had already eliminated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, after coming back from two goals down to beat Manchester City in the league phase. Arsenal were the one English side they had failed to conquer, losing 2-0 in North London in October.
However, PSG were without the influential Dembele for disciplinary reasons on that occasion, and Luis Enrique insisted his side were “more complete” seven months on.
In conclusion, Arsenal’s first defeat in 18 home European matches was a painful blow to their own bid to win a first Champions League crown. Mikel Arteta had labeled Arsenal’s run to the semi-finals a “beautiful story.”
written by @enock katamba
- Enock Katamba is a Ugandan Journalist and Founder of Uncovered UG, an independent digital news platform covering Uganda and international developments. He reports on politics, national affairs, entertainment, sports, business, education and other stories of public interest.
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It was a nice game to watch