Dembélé Fires PSG to Narrow Victory Over Arsenal in Champions League Semi-Final First Leg

Gunners’ Unbeaten Home Streak Ends as French Winger Strikes Early

London, UK – Ousmane Dembélé’s lightning-fast goal gave Paris Saint-Germain a crucial 1-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash, snapping the Gunners’ impressive 17-game unbeaten run at home in European competition.

In a tense battle between two teams desperate to shed their “nearly men” reputation in Europe, PSG struck first in just the fourth minute. Dembélé, combining beautifully with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, curled a left-footed shot off the post and into the net, leaving the Emirates Stadium crowd in stunned silence. The goal marked his 25th of the year and his 11th goal contribution in this season’s Champions League—a new record for PSG.

Arsenal struggled to match the visitors’ intensity early on, with goalkeeper David Raya forced into multiple saves. He denied Kvaratskhelia with a sharp stop before pulling off a spectacular one-handed save to keep out Désiré Doué. The Gunners finally found some momentum late in the first half, and Gabriel Martinelli nearly equalized, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma to make a crucial save.

The home side thought they had leveled just after halftime when Mikel Merino powered in a header from Declan Rice’s free-kick, but the goal was controversially ruled out for offside. Despite the setback, Arsenal pushed forward, with Donnarumma again coming to PSG’s rescue, tipping Leandro Trossard’s fierce strike wide.

PSG suffered a blow when Dembélé, their match-winner, limped off with an injury, replaced by Bradley Barcola. The substitute nearly made an instant impact, setting up João Neves, who blazed his shot over. Neves came close again moments later, curling an effort just past the far post, while Gonçalo Ramos rattled the crossbar with an audacious toe-poked attempt.

In the end, Dembélé’s early strike proved decisive, handing PSG only their second win in five matches across all competitions. For Arsenal, the defeat ends a 12-game unbeaten streak, leaving them with a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg in Paris if they hope to reach their first Champions League final in 19 years.

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