Ousmane Dembele’s early goal gave Paris Saint-Germain a slender 1-0 victory at Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal.
Luis Enrique’s team have already beaten Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa in this season’s competition, and looked ready to have fun at the expense of another Premier League heavyweight as they started imperiously in north London.
Arsenal spent much of the first half chasing shadows but steadied themselves before halftime. Set pieces were their main treat and Mikel Merino had an equaliser ruled out for offside after an interminable VAR wait.
PSG could have enjoyed a victory margin more befitting their poise when Goncalo Ramos rattled the crossbar late on, while an injury to matchwinner Dembele marked a blot on the horizon heading into next week’s return at the Parc des Princes.
Arsenal vs. PSG score
| 2nd Half | Goalscorers | |
| Arsenal | 0 | |
| PSG | 1 | Dembele 4′ |
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Lineups:
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 22, David Raya (GK) — 12. Jurrien Timber, 2. William Saliba, 15. Jakub Kiwior, 49. Myles Lewis-Skelly — 8. Martin Odegaard, 23. Mikel Merino, 41. Declan Rice — 7. Bukayo Saka, 19. Leandro Trossard, 11. Gabriel Martinelli
PSG (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) — 2. Achraf Hakimi, 5. Marquinhos, 51. Willian Pacho, 25. Nuno Mendes — 8. Fabian Ruiz, 17. Vitinha, 87. João Neves — 14. Desire Doue (9. Goncalo Ramos), 10. Ousmane Dembele (29. Bradley Barcola), 7. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
