Arsenal fail fans at Emirates, lose 0-1 to PSG in crucial Champion League semi

Arsenal fail fans at Emirates, lose 0-1 to PSG in crucial Champion League semi

 

Arsenal on Tuesday faltered before their home fans against PSG in the Champions League semi-final first leg as they lost 0-1

Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win for the visitors. Arsenal will have to win at Parc des Princes next Wednesday if they are to reach the Champions League final after losing at home to Paris Saint-Germain.

Mikel Arteta’s men will have their work cut out in France after playing within themselves for much of the first leg on home soil, with Luis Enrique’s side heading back across the Channel with a deserved advantage.

Towards the end of the first half, Arsenal began to make inroads, with a Bukayo Saka cross touched wide at the back stick by Gabriel Martinelli. Replays suggested the Brazilian was offside anyway, though he was then denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma at close range after being slipped through by Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Within a minute of the restart, Arsenal thought they had their leveller. Rice swung in a free-kick from wide left and it found the head of Merino, who nodded past a stranded Donnarumma. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the Spaniard was judged to have been offside and the goal was chalked off.

Arteta’s men had found their groove at last, though, and Leandro Trossard came close to equalising soon after, only for Donnarumma to push his low effort wide off the last lick of paint of the post.

PSG could have put the tie out of sight with a typically flowing move in the final 10 minutes as Bradley Barcola’s give-and-go with Goncalo Ramos sent the winger through with Raya, but he dragged his effort wide. Ramos then smashed the crossbar seconds later when one long ball over the top undid Arsenal.

The first leg was brought to a close after five minutes of injury time as the Gunners failed to muster up another opportunity of note.

The Gunners have a huge task to turn the tie around in Paris next week against Luis Enrique’s impressive French champions