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Paris Saint-Germain needs only a tie next week in front of its own supporters at Parc des Princes to advance to the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final after beating Arsenal 1-0 in Tuesday’s first leg semi in London.
French national team star Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring less than four minutes after kickoff at Emirates Stadium in the English capital. The decisive second match of the two-game, home-and-home, total-goals-wins series will be played on May 7.
Here are a few quick thoughts following Tuesday’s contest.
Play of the game
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PSG defender Nuno Mendes started the play by finding Dembélé in space in the center of the field. The Frenchman passed to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia streaking down the wing, then continued his run into Arsenal’s penalty area. Kvaratskhelia’s beautiful return ball found Dembélé in strike, and he coolly first-timed his shot past the outstretched arm of Gunners goalkeeper David Raya to stun the home crowd at the Emirates.
Turning point
The hosts appeared to have canceled out Dembélé’s tally just after halftime, when Mikel Merino nodded a Declan Rice free-kick past PSG backstop Gianluigi Donnarumma. Unfortunately for most of those in attendance, the celebration was short-lived, as the video assistant referee determined that Merino had strayed just offside a split-second before Rice’s service.
Key stat
Contrary to popular belief, teams that win games on early goals usually get heavily out-possessed over 90 minutes; as their opponents desperately chase an equalizer, the squad in the lead is happy to absorb pressure and look to inflict the fatal blow via a counterattack.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday. At one point midway through the first half, PSG had enjoyed the ball for a whopping 68-percent of the proceedings. And they finished the match with more than half of the overall possession – a damning stat for the home side.
What’s next for Paris Saint-Germain?
PSG, which three weeks ago clinched its 11th Ligue 1 title since its deep-pocketed Qatari owners bought the club in 2011, returns to domestic action when they visit Strasbourg on Saturday.
The big one looms three days later, when the Gunners visit the City of Light. PSG has reached the final just once before, in 2020, when Kylian Mbappe, Neymar & Co. fell to Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
What’s next for Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta’s side will return to Premier League action on Saturday versus local rivals Fulham. As is the case for PSG, that match is somewhat anticlimactic since Liverpool sealed the English crown last weekend. The Gunners, who lead third-place Newcastle by five points with four games left, remain in the driver’s seat to finish runner-up for the third consecutive season.
Arteta will no doubt prioritize next week’s rematch, as he should: While PSG deserved its win on Tuesday, they also squandered several golden opportunities to pad their lead. Kvaratskhelia was denied what he insisted should’ve been a penalty kick. Raya denied Desire Doue with an all-world save. Goncalo Ramos rattled the crossbar late in the second half.
If the Gunners score first next week in Paris, neutral fans will be in for a treat.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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