Agency, April 30: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) took a significant step toward the UEFA Champions League final with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of the semifinal, played on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium in London.
The only goal of the match came early, in the 4th minute of the first half, when French winger Ousmane Dembélé found the back of the net. Capitalizing on a brief lapse in Arsenal’s defense, Dembélé struck a precise shot that beat the goalkeeper and gave PSG an early lead. The goal proved to be decisive, as both teams failed to add to the scoreline despite creating several opportunities.
PSG, managed by Luis Enrique, displayed strong defensive discipline after taking the lead, successfully neutralizing Arsenal’s attacking threats for the remainder of the match. Gianluigi Donnarumma made a few crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet, while center-backs Marquinhos and Milan Škriniar stood firm against the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus.
On the other hand, Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta’s guidance, controlled possession for large spells and showed attacking intent but were unable to break down PSG’s solid defensive structure. Despite home advantage and strong support from the Emirates crowd, the Gunners will now head to Paris with a one-goal deficit.
The second leg of the semifinal will be played on May 7 at the Parc des Princes, PSG’s home stadium. With just one goal separating the two sides, the tie remains finely balanced, and both teams will be aiming to deliver a defining performance to book their place in the final.
This victory gives PSG the upper hand, but with 90 minutes still to play, Arsenal will be determined to turn the tie around in the return leg.
