Summary:
- Arsenal fell 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final battle.
- Mike Arteta remains confident Arsenal can turn things around.
- The return leg will take place next Wednesday at Parc des Princes.
Mikel Arteta remains confident Arsenal can turn things around in Paris after falling 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.
Arteta: “We Still Have a Lot of Chances”
The Gunners were stunned early at the Emirates when Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring within four minutes.
Despite chances and a disallowed goal for Mikel Merino shortly after the break, Arsenal couldn’t find the net and now face an uphill battle in France.
Still, Arteta believes his side is far from done.
If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special, and we are going to have to do something special in Paris to be there. We still have a lot of chances to be in that final
The manager noted that the game mirrored their approach against Real Madrid in the previous round, where they secured a big win in the first leg.
We are at half-time, and my message is exactly the same as it was after we beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final. We have to go to Paris and win the game, and we are more than capable of doing it.
Enrique: “Mission Accomplished”
Luis Enrique’s PSG looked sharp and aggressive in the opening stages. They forced Arsenal into a tactical adjustment midway through the first half, which helped the hosts settle.
Arsenal created decent chances, notably from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, but were denied by a strong performance from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arteta noted,
I saw two very good teams, but the margins are so small. The goalkeeper made the difference. We had two one-on-ones with Donnarumma and if they go in, it is a different story.
PSG boss Enrique was pleased but cautious:
It is mission accomplished for this evening… but we cannot let our guard down or be complacent because they can score quickly and we are back to square one.
The return leg at Parc des Princes is set for next Wednesday. Arsenal will need to be clinical in front of goal, and potentially face a PSG who knocked out Liverpool in the last 16 will without Dembélé, who left the first leg with a knock.
Before their new meetup, the Gunners will first host Bournemouth in a Premier League late afternoon kick-off on Saturday. Similarly, PSG will head to Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on the same day.
The Champions League final will be held on May 31 at Munich’s Allianz Arena. The winner will take on either Barcelona or Inter Milan.
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