LONDON — Luis Enrique warned his Paris Saint-Germain side not to let their guard down “for a second” at the Parc des Princes or they risk finding themselves back at square one in their Champions League semifinal against Arsenal.
Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike was enough to hand PSG control of the tie at the Emirates Stadium, but they may yet come to rue the pair of late misses from Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos that cost them the chance to get out of sight in this tie. Certainly, after an impressive opening 20 minutes, it seemed that that was exactly what the French champions would do, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia devastating down the left flank and Vitinha bossing the midfield.
Arsenal regrouped, however, and came close to equalizing on several occasions: Mikel Merino just offside when heading in, Gabriel Martinelli twice going close in the first half, and Leandro Trossard drawing a fine save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Mikel Arteta was still full of belief that his side could reach the Champions League final in Paris next Wednesday, and it seems that was an assessment shared by his counterpart in the PSG dugout.
“Mission accomplished this evening,” said Luis Enrique. “Our sole objective is to win the second leg at home as well. With Arsenal, we cannot let our guard down and be complacent. This is a team who can completely rewrite history in one second, and we’ll be back to square one. Nothing is in the bag yet, as they’ll have nothing to lose.”
Booking their place in the Munich final would certainly be easier if PSG were able to call on Dembele. The France international has been Europe’s most devastating forward since the start of 2025 and continued to test the Arsenal backline after his brilliantly taken opener, a low drive careening in off David Raya’s left post.
However, Dembele limped off with 20 minutes to play at the Emirates Stadium, seemingly clutching his hamstring. Luis Enrique confirmed as much, and he will face a nervous wait over the next week to see if his star forward is available.
“He’ll undergo tests tomorrow,” said the Spaniard. “It’s not serious, it’s something very minor, but he’s probably a doubt for the second leg.
“We’re going to try to get Dembele back on the pitch, but we’re a real team. If Ousmane can play, that’s better. But if he doesn’t, we’ll still be a real team. We’ve been saying that since the start of the season.”
Arsenal, meanwhile, will travel to the Parc des Princes knowing it might have been worse, but also that they did create the openings to swing the tie in their direction. After a nervy start, the Gunners at least matched PSG across most of the final hour or so of the contest, their long balls an almighty challenge for Marquinhos and company. With Thomas Partey in line to return, all may not be lost for a side who have never advanced in the Champions League after losing a home first leg.
Asked whether his side need to be significantly better in the second leg, Arteta said: “I think the margins were so small, I don’t think so. But if it’s significantly better, hopefully the result will be significantly different as well.”
Having risen to the occasion at the Santiago Bernabeu in the quarterfinals — albeit in a far more favorable spot in the first leg — Arsenal have proven themselves to be a team that can deliver on big European nights away from home. That is what they will have to do next week.
“If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special and we’re going to have to do something special in Paris,” said Arteta. “I don’t know the percentage [chances of qualifying], but we have a lot of chances to be in that final.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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