At the Emirates Stadium, Paris Saint-Germain showed the calm Arsenal could not, grinding out a 1-0 win to take a slender advantage back to the Parc des Princes.
Ousmane Dembele struck early, capping off a 26-pass move to stun the home crowd and give PSG the lead they never relinquished. Even after Dembele departed injured in the second half, Luis Enrique’s side remained composed, forcing Arsenal to chase shadows at a pace that ultimately betrayed them in key moments.
The night belonged to Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper, towering in every sense, turned away efforts from Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka with a commanding presence. His double save on Saka and Trossard in the second half ensured Arsenal’s best spell ended in frustration.
Arsenal thought they had found their breakthrough when Mikel Merino headed home from a Declan Rice cross, but a long VAR review ruled it out for offside. It summed up Arsenal’s luck — and the thin margins that define nights like this.
Myles Lewis-Skelly fought bravely in midfield, but as PSG slowed the game down and managed their energy, Arsenal’s moves grew frantic. Odegaard struggled to impose himself, Saka was isolated, and the final whistle came too soon despite Mikel Arteta’s desperate efforts to lift the crowd.
PSG could have extended their lead late on, with Goncalo Ramos striking the crossbar and Bradley Barcola missing another clear chance. Yet one goal, and the iron hand of Donnarumma, were enough to tilt the tie in the French side’s favor.
Arsenal will head to Paris knowing the mountain is steep. PSG, meanwhile, are halfway to their second Champions League final in five years.
