Champions League: PSG makes history in the semi-final at Arsenal (1-0)

Paris Saint-Germain secured the victory and the piece of history they were looking for on Tuesday, April 29, at Arsenal (1-0), a tough opponent they defeated on the road to the eagerly awaited Champions League final. It was a small scoreline, but a big step for PSG toward Munich, the May 31 finale of a European Cup they dream of lifting, after so many past disappointments.

The Red and Blues will have the Parc des Princes as support and momentum, sportingly speaking, on May 7 to seal the deal in the second leg of the semi-final. The Gunners' blistering start on the pitch, capped by a goal from the inevitable Ousmane Dembélé (4th), was enough to delight Luis Enrique and his men, who emerged victorious after a match that became unbearable before the final whistle.

The Parisians scored a double victory in London: they finally beat Arsenal, after their sixth encounter, and they finally won a semi-final match. They'd been waiting for it since the 2020 victory (3-0 against Leipzig, without a two-legged tie), which propelled them into the only final in their history. A good omen?

Arsenal fans, for their part, had been waiting to relive the excitement of the last four since 2009, and they had gone all out in the stands, with a pre-match fervor that increased tenfold and a giant red banner with a huge white cannon unfurled.

But we saw the Gunners' damp squib version during a nearly one-way first half-hour, during which PSG played the dominant and conquering football of its finest hours. And Dembélé struck very hard, very early, to capsize his 2,500 or so fiery and noisy supporters.

The attacker made a breakthrough down the middle, shifted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to his left and then capitalised on the Georgian's back pass with a winning shot, which went in after several rebounds and a post (4th, 1-0).

The 25th goal in 25 matches played by "Dembouz" in 2025 had a particular taste for the dribbler with magic feet, whose performance has been less brilliant for a month, and which he celebrated with a finger to his mouth.

Paris Saint-Germain 's dominance stretched out for a solid half-hour, seemingly stifling. High pressing, tight spaces, everything was perfect, or almost. But it didn't last: there was a small eternity in the scale of the match (almost three-quarters of an hour) between Désiré Doué's shot in the 31st minute and PSG's next, Joao Neves's shot in the 78th, which went off target.

Meanwhile, Arsenal took control of the game and tested the vigilance of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was forced to work hard on a shot from Gabriel Martinelli (45th) and another from Leandro Trossard (56th). The Italian goalkeeper faltered once: he remained motionless on a Declan Rice free-kick catapulted into his net by Mikel Merino, but VAR saved him by detecting an offside from the Spanish midfielder (47th).

Dominated, PSG had the merit of withstanding the continued pressure from their opponent, who were unbeaten at home in the Champions League for two seasons. In the process, they earned their first clean sheet (a match without conceding a goal) since April 5th against Angers. This virtue helps mask any regrets that might arise from missed opportunities in the final quarter of an hour.

First there was Bradley Barcola's shot (84th minute) that went very close to David Raya's right post, then Gonzalos Ramos's shot (85th minute) that hit the top of the crossbar. PSG resisted until the end, through everything, and they have the right to dream.