“‘This Game Is Rigged’: Arsenal Fans Fume After Home Defeat in UCL Semis vs PSG
- Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, April 29
- Ousmane Dembele scored a crucial goal in the fourth minute to give Les Parisiens a valuable advantage ahead of the second leg in Paris on May 7
- The Gunners were unable to find the back of the net for the first time in 12 matches, with Mikel Merino's early second-half effort disallowed following a VAR review
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Paris Saint-Germain capitalised on Arsenal's early defensive lapses to claim a valuable 1-0 victory in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, April 29.
The Gunners entered the match with confidence after their impressive quarterfinal triumph over Real Madrid, having won both legs.
Arsenal had also defeated PSG 2-0 earlier in the group stage of the Champions League back in October 2024.
Source: Getty Images
PSG cage Arsenal at Emirates
Arsenal's 18-match unbeaten home run in European competition came to an end as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final.
According to the BBC, Ousmane Dembele silenced the Emirates in the fourth minute, slotting home Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s low cross past David Raya to give PSG an early lead.
The French side dominated the early exchanges, with Raya forced into a pair of crucial saves to deny Desire Doue.
At the other end, as Sky Sports reported, Gianluigi Donnarumma stood firm, making key saves to frustrate Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on either side of the break.
Arsenal thought they had equalized in the second half when Mikel Merino headed in from a Declan Rice free-kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
PSG had chances to extend their lead late, with Bradley Barcola firing wide and Goncalo Ramos striking the crossbar.
Arsenal's Mikel Merino was fouled by PSG's Joao Neves inside the box, but referee Slavko Vincic waved it off.
Replays showed Neves made a last-ditch toe tackle on the ball just before Merino was about to shoot, per Football London.
PSG beat fourth EPL team in UCL
Luis Enrique led Paris Saint-Germain to record their fourth win against English Premier League teams in the 2024/24 UEFA Champions League.
According to Al Jazeera, PSG defeated Manchester City in the league phase, edged out Liverpool in the last 16 round, and dispatched Aston Villa in a quarterfinal thriller.
The Spanish coach revealed that the game plan in the semifinal was to score early goals against Arenal. He said:
"We try to play in our way and scored the first goal in the first two or three minutes paying the way we try to play.
"I'm happy, we suffered sometimes, and we could have scored the second goal, but there is still a second match and it's going to be very close."
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Mixed reactions trail officiating
Arsenal fans have called out referee Slavko Vincic for making silly mistakes in the semifinal match against PSG.
@Landy_GFX said:
"Decent football being ruined by poor officiating 🙃."
@DavidWoodley82 posited:
"A season full of bad calls. This was soft, however, I have felt bad decisions have cost us, I don’t think it did tonight. We were poor."
@Supreme_Garaad wrote:
"Odegaard doesn’t deserve to play for this football club. Never seen a more fearful captain in my life."
@iamcheropmark questioned:
"Give Rice the Captaincy.
"What's this guy even good at?😭"
@DanielRegha said:
"Arsenal needed Partey, it's obvious he's the engine of the team. That said, the team missed a few chances, but PSG also got r@bbed of an obvious PK in the first half. Poor officiating saved Arsenal."
@TheArsenalMind wrote:
"No matter how it feels, Arsenal were outplayed tonight. PSG’s finishing spared us from being out of this tie already. That must be a massive wake-up call heading into the second leg."
@OfficialJoel4_ added:
"Very flat performance, but if there's an omen, Arsenal Women lost the home leg to a French team by one goal, then turned it around in France. Not over yet."
@tboy49ja posited:
"Let’s say it, we were a bit flat today. I'm guessing Partey's absence was a huge miss.
"Merino is now used to play 9, not midfield. Trossad had no bite today . Next week Partey back, Rice 8 and Merino 9 then we win."
Arteta eyes win against PSG
Legit.ng earlier reported that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his players will approach the semifinal clash with Paris Saint-Germain like they did against Real Madrid.
The Spanish coach described the upcoming fixture as one of the biggest games of his career.
He added that the Gunners have overcome numerous challenges this season, and winning the Champions League would be the ultimate reward for their hard work.
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Source: Legit.ng
