Dembele fires PSG toward Champions League final as Arsenal stumble in first leg tie

Paris Saint-Germain took a significant step toward the Champions League final with a 1-0 win over Arsenal in London on Tuesday.

Ousmane Dembélé scored the only goal of the game just four minutes in, giving the French side a valuable lead heading into the second leg.

Fast start from PSG

It didn’t take long for the visitors to strike. In the fourth minute, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia passed to Dembélé just outside the box, and the French winger calmly placed the ball past goalkeeper David Raya.

The goal in North London was Dembele’s 11th goal contribution in this year’s Champions League, tying the club record set by Kylian Mbappé in 2021.

PSG’s strong form in England continued — this was their third early away goal in the knockout stages, after scoring quickly against both Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Arsenal struggled to break through

Arsenal, missing several key players through injury and suspension, tried to respond. Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka pushed forward, while Mikel Merino controlled the midfield. But chances were hard to come by.

Trossard was booked early in the game for stopping a PSG counter-attack. Later in the first half, Arsenal wanted a penalty after Merino went down in the box, but replays showed it was a clean tackle from PSG’s Neves.

Just after halftime, Merino thought he had equalised, but the goal was ruled offside after a VAR check. Arsenal’s best chance came in the 56th minute when Trossard forced a brilliant save from Donnarumma.

PSG focused on defence in the second half, making smart substitutions to stay fresh.

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Arsenal kept pushing, but PSG stayed calm and organised.

Despite Arsenal pushing late for an equaliser in the game, they couldn’t find a way through against the dominant Parisian.

Their unbeaten record against PSG — two wins and three draws before this match — is now over.

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What’s next?

The second leg will be in Paris, where Arsenal must score at least once to stay alive. PSG are in a strong position and can now dream of reaching their second Champions League final — and maybe winning the trophy for the first time.

As for Arsenal, they have all the right to believe in a comeback in Paris next week.