After winning 1-0 at the Emirates this evening, Paris Saint-Germain will have a slim one-goal lead ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final matchup with Arsenal thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembele in the fourth minute.
The visitors dominated the first half thanks to a lightning-fast start. Desire Doue also forced David Raya to make a fantastic save at the half, and the visitors will be disappointed not to have a larger lead when Bradley Barcola missed a close-range shot, and Goncalo Ramos struck the bar late in the game.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made incredible saves down low to his left to keep out Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard as Arsenal slowly gained the upper hand in the match.
It was a frustrating evening for the Gunners, who have everything to do in the French capital next week. On the one occasion that Mikel Arteta’s team managed to defeat the Italian in the PSG goal, VAR was on hand to disallow Mikel Merino’s header for a very tight offside call.
Given their recent play, especially their performance at Anfield to eliminate Liverpool in the round of 16, it was somewhat of a surprise that Luis Enrique’s team entered this first leg as the underdogs. However, they crushed those pre-match odds tonight.
With midfielders Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, and Vitinha exuding class and giving their front three the tools to attack Arsenal, particularly in the first half, PSG dominated the game from the start.
Enrique knows he has Donnarumma’s ability to save them in goal, and he did so again this evening. Arsenal was always going to play themselves into the game, and PSG’s open style put the home team in some risky situations.
The match is well-positioned for the second leg, and PSG will be the overwhelming favorites because of the advantage they will bring to the match. However, the match is far from over, and if Arsenal must attack, we may be in for an exciting evening in Paris on Wednesday.