Dembélé’s early goal gives PSG narrow lead over Arsenal | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain took a step closer to the Champions League final after Ousmane Dembélé's early goal earned them a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium.

The visitors made a dream start, stunning the home crowd inside three minutes.

A sharp PSG counter saw Dembélé finish off a slick move, firing home first time after Kvicha Kvaratskhelia danced past defenders and set him up.

Luis Enrique's side kept the pressure on early, with Desire Doué and Kvaratskhelia causing problems out wide.

David Raya was called into action more than once, and the post came to Arsenal’s rescue after a deflected shot from Kvaratskhelia. Marquinhos and Doué also came close before the Gunners started to find their feet.

The north London side took time to grow into the match but finished the first half strongly. Gabriel Martinelli came close, and Leandro Trossard tested Gigi Donnarumma with a smart backheel.

Mikel Merino looked set to level the scores before the break, only for João Neves to make a vital block.

Early in the second half, the English side thought they had equalised. Merino headed in from a Declan Rice free-kick, but after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside.

The hosts pushed hard in the final stages to level the game, with Rice and Trossard both going close, but Donnarumma making strong saves to deny both.

In the final stages, the French side had the chance to secure a more comfortable lead for the second leg, but both Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos wasted clear-cut opportunities.

The return leg will be held in Paris next Wednesday, with the victors set to face either Inter Milan or Barcelona in Munich.