Dembele strikes as PSG on the brink of CL final

Agency :

Paris St Germain (PSG) took a big step towards reaching the Champions League (CL) final as Ousmane Dembele’s early goal sealed a 1-0 win at Arsenal in a tense first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.

Dembele fired home off the post in the fourth minute as PSG dominated the opening stages and Luis Enrique’s side held firm to beat Arsenal for the first time in six attempts and take a precious advantage back to the French capital.

Arsenal, playing in the semi-final for the first time since 2009, improved after a torrid start and had a Mikel Merino goal ruled out after the break while PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made several fine saves.

PSG weathered the storm though and should have given themselves a bigger cushion for the second leg but Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos both squandered gilt-edged chances late on as the game became stretched.

Should PSG protect their advantage next Wednesday at home they will face either Inter Milan or Barcelona in the final in Munich and they will believe a first title in Europe’s blue-riband club competition is now finally within reach. “It was a great night for the group,” PSG’s mercurial midfielder Vitinha said. “We had the ball for most of the game.

“We had to adapt to the different circumstances of the match and we did, defending and attacking well.”

While the result was a huge blow for Arsenal, all is not lost, according to keeper David Raya. “We showed from the 25th minute that we can win against any team.

We’ve shown this season we can win away from home, so we’re going to go to Paris next week to win the game,” he said.

Arsenal comfortably beat PSG 2-0 in north London in the early days of the league phase in October, but Luis Enrique’s French champions have evolved into a formidable force and have been tipped as favourites to lift the title that owners Qatar Sports Investments have craved since buying the club in 2011.