Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique cautioned his team against any lapse in concentration “for a second” at the Parc des Princes, warning that they could find themselves back at the start in their Champions League semifinal tie against Arsenal.
Ousmane Dembele`s early goal in the fourth minute gave PSG the lead at the Emirates Stadium. However, they might regret late missed opportunities from Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos that could have extended their advantage. Following a strong start in the first 20 minutes, where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was dangerous on the left and Vitinha controlled the midfield, it seemed PSG were poised to take firm control.
Arsenal, however, regrouped and created several chances to equalize. Mikel Merino`s header was disallowed for offside, Gabriel Martinelli came close twice in the first half, and Leandro Trossard forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Despite the result, Mikel Arteta remained confident that his side could reach the Champions League final, a belief seemingly shared by his PSG counterpart.
“Mission accomplished this evening,” said Luis Enrique after the match. He added, “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.”
Progressing to the final would undoubtedly be easier for PSG if Dembele were available. The French forward has been a key attacking threat this year and continued to challenge the Arsenal defense after scoring his well-taken opener, a low shot that went in off David Raya`s left post.
However, Dembele left the field with 20 minutes remaining at the Emirates Stadium, appearing to hold his hamstring. Luis Enrique confirmed the issue and faces an anxious wait to determine if the star attacker will be fit for the second leg.
The Spaniard stated, “He`ll undergo tests tomorrow. It`s not serious, it`s something very minor, but he`s probably a doubt for the second leg.”
Luis Enrique also emphasized the team`s depth. “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 will travel to the Parc des Princes knowing the first-leg result could have been worse, but also that they generated opportunities to potentially swing the tie in their favour. After a nervous start, the Gunners matched PSG for much of the final hour, with their long passes posing a challenge for Marquinhos and the defense. With Thomas Partey potentially returning, hope remains for Arsenal, despite never having overturned a home first-leg defeat in the Champions League.
Asked if his side needed to perform significantly better in the return leg, Arteta replied, “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 previously demonstrated their ability to perform on big European away nights, such as at the Santiago Bernabeu in the quarterfinals (though under different first-leg circumstances), Arsenal has shown they can rise to the occasion away from home. They will need to do so again next week.
Arteta concluded, “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. I don`t know the percentage [chances of qualifying], but we have a lot of chances to be in that final.”
Dominic Ashworth