PSG silence Emirates against a patchy Arsenal in the Champions League semifinal | OneFootball

Arsenal failed in their mission in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and were beaten 1-0 by PSG at the Emirates Stadium. As a result, the Gunners will need to overturn the deficit at the Parc des Princes if they are to continue their dream of winning a major title this season.

Mikel Arteta's side began the match by imposing attacking pressure on their opponents and advanced their lines to put PSG under pressure, but the French opened the scoring after just four minutes. Kvartskhelia received the ball on the left and the ball arrived for Osmane Dembélé to hit a first-time shot into goalkeeper Pepa's corner.

FBL-EUR-C1-ARSENAL-PSG | ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

With the goal quickly conceded, Arsenal felt it both on and off the pitch, with the Gunners' fans remaining silent for a considerable part of the time due to the negative result. On the pitch, Mikel Arteta's side took a long time to reorganize, while PSG relied heavily on quick transitions.

Gunners had the chance to equalize in the final stages of the first half, with good pressure and good opportunities to equalize. The most dangerous chance came when Lewis-Skelly made an excellent run and laid the ball off for Martinelli to finish, but his firm shot was saved by Donnarumma.

Arsenal v PSG - UEFA Champions League semi-final | Anadolu/GettyImages

After the break, Arsenal adopted a more aggressive stance and managed to pin PSG back in their own half, scoring the equalizer from a well-timed set-piece. Rice took a free-kick and Merino rose high to score, but the VAR detected an offside with the help of technology and the goal was correctly disallowed.

Even though the Gunners tried to score more chances afterwards, the feeling is that the disallowed goal also had a negative impact on the Emirates Stadium. The nerves grew as the half wore on and Arsenal's momentum waned. Finally, PSG almost extended their lead with Gonçalo Ramos coming face to face with Raya, but his shot went wide.

Are Arsenal already out of the Champions League?

Arsenal can beat PSG away from home by at least a goal and stay alive in the Champions League, but two things need to be noted: the first is that Partey's absence had a very negative impact, and the second is the disappointment of the Gunners' fans at the Emirates, who remained silent for most of the time.