Paris St Germain took a big step towards reaching the Champions League final as Ousmane Dembele’s early goal sealed a 1-0 win at Arsenal in a tense first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.
Dembele fired home off the post in the fourth minute as PSG dominated the opening stages and Luis Enrique’s side held firm to take a precious advantage back to the French capital.
Arsenal, playing in the semi-final for the first time since 2009, improved after a lacklustre start and had a Mikel Merino goal ruled out after the break while PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made several fine saves.
PSG weathered the storm and should have given themselves a bigger cushion for the second leg but Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos both squandered gilt-edged chances late on.
Should PSG protect their advantage next Wednesday at home they will face either Inter Milan or Barcelona in Munich and they will believe a first title in Europe’s blue-riband club competition is now finally within reach.
Arsenal comfortably beat PSG 2-0 in north London in the early days of the league phase in October, but Luis Enrique’s French champions have evolved into a formidable force.
Since that defeat by Arsenal, PSG have been the scourge of English clubs, beating Manchester City in the league phase, knocking Premier League winners Liverpool out in the last 16 and dispatching Aston Villa in a quarter-final thriller.
