Paris Saint-Germain will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Arsenal after claiming a narrow win in north London.
It was a remarkable atmosphere inside the Emirates ahead of kick-off, with Arsenal supporters encouraged by some glorious English weather and the sense of a grand occasion brewing.
However, their spirits were subdued within three minutes of the semi-final getting underway as Ousmane Dembele efficiently rounded off a flowing PSG move. It was the perfect start for the visitors, who purred for the duration of the opening 30 minutes. Arsenal couldn’t live with their positional fluidity and slickness in possession, with Desire Doue later forcing David Raya into an excellent save.
Set pieces and more Bukayo Saka magic helped the hosts build some momentum towards the end of the first half, and they ought to have levelled proceedings when Gabriel Martinelli found himself one-on-one with Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian, however, saved the winger’s effort just before the interval.
Mikel Merino thought he’d restored parity immediately after the restart, but his header was eventually ruled out by VAR. Donnarumma was then forced into an even better save than his denial of Martinelli, with the Italian tipping Leandro Trossard’s shot bound for the corner past the post.
After weathering that storm, PSG expertly managed the contest for the remaining 30 minutes, disrupting its flow while creating some excellent chances of their own. Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos ought to have extended their lead, but Luis Enrique will doubtless be content with his side’s work at the Emirates.
Martin Odegaard failed to fire / Anadolu/GettyImages
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player
Rating
GK: David Raya
6.5/10
RB: Jurrien Timber
6.5/10
CB: William Saliba
6.6/10
CB: Jakub Kiwior
6.4/10
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
6.7/10
CM: Martin Odegaard
6.3/10
CM: Mikel Merino
6.7/10
CM: Declan Rice
7.6/10
RW: Bukayo Saka
6.2/10
ST: Leandro Trossard
5.8/10
LW: Gabriel Martinelli
6.0/10
SUB: Ben White (83′ for Timber)
N/A
SUB: Ethan Nwaneri (90′ for Odegaard)
N/A
Subs not used: Neto (GK), Tommy Setford (GK), Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jimi Gower, Jorginho, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Jack Henry-Francis, Ismeal Kabia, Raheem Sterling.
Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring inside three minutes / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player
Rating
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
8.6/10
RB: Achraf Hakimi
6.8/10
CB: Marquinhos
7.7/10
CB: William Pacho
6.7/10
LB: Nuno Mendes
7.6/10
CM: Vitinha
6.7/10
CM: Joao Neves
7.6/10
CM: Fabian Ruiz
7.3/10
RW: Desire Doue
7.2/10
ST: Ousmane Dembele
7.4/10
LW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
8.0/10
SUB: Bradley Barcola (70′ for Dembele)
6.2/10
SUB: Goncalo Ramos (76′ for Doue)
6.8/10
SUB: Warren Zaire-Emery (89′ for Neves)
N/A
Subs not used: Arnau Tenas (GK), Matvey Safonov (GK), Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Senny Mayulu, Ibrahim Mbaye, Lee Kang-in.
Player of the match – Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE
