Paris Saint-Germain took a big step towards the end of the Champions League final while the early goal of Ousmane Dembélé sealed a 1-0 victory at Arsenal on Tuesday during a first stretched stage of the semi-final.
Dembélé fired at the post of the post at the fourth minute while PSG dominated the opening stages and the Luis Enrique team held firmly to bring a precious advantage to the French capital.
Arsenal, playing in the semi-finals for the first time since 2009, improved after a dull start and excluded a goal from Mikel Merino after the break while the PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made several ends.
PSG resisted the storm and should have given itself a larger cushion for the return match, but Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos both wasted the chances of golden edges late.
If PSG protected their advantage next Wednesday at home, they will face Inter Milan or Barcelona in Munich and they will believe that a first title in the first club competition in Europe is finally at hand.
Arsenal comfortably beat PSG 2-0 in northern London in the first days of the league phase in October, but the French champions of Luis Enrique have become a formidable force.
James Gill – Danehouse / Getty Images
Since this defeat by Arsenal, PSG has been the scourge of English clubs, beating Manchester City in the league phase, dropping the winners of the Premier League Liverpool in the last 16 and sending Aston Villa in a thriller in the quarterfinals.
Ringue by fanatic support, PSG barely gave a tattered arsenal for the first 25 minutes, their rhythm and their movement too much for the side of Mikel Arteta.
The smoke of the pre-match pyrotechnics had barely cleared when PSG struck.
KHVICHA KVAratskhelia received the ball on the left and went up in the area before placing a pass so that Dembélé sweeps away from the post David Raya.
It was Dembélé’s eighth goal and the participation of the 11th goal in this season’s competition, corresponding to the club record for the former Talisman Kylian Mbappé of PSG.
Arsenal was swinging and it could have won. Leandro Trossard was reserved for lowering Achraf Hakimi while he separated and Marquinhos led a Hakimi cross directly in Raya.
Kvaratskhelia was a thorn in the side of Arsenal throughout the first half and he cried for a penalty when he fell on the ground under a doubtful defense of Jurriën Timber.
Raya made other stops from KVaratskhelia and Désiré Doué before Arsenal finally begins to empty her head.
Gabriel Martinelli was scary with a connecting with a Bukayo Saka cross, then was refused by a low backup of Donnarumma on the half-time.
Arsenal thought they had equalized immediately after the break when Merino was heading for Declan Rice’s free kick, but a long Var check judged that he had been offside.
The Arteta team briefly took control and with the defense of PSG, Donnarumma made a superb low backup to turn a trustee with its fingers.
PSG could live to regret not leaving with more, while Barcola has screwed up a wide shot when it is clean before Ramos strikes an effort against the crossbar.
