London, April 30 (H.S.): French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has taken a strong step towards the final by defeating Arsenal at their home ground in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.

The match at the Emirates Stadium started explosively. French player Ousmane Dembélé scored a goal in the fourth minute, giving PSG an early lead. Dembélé advanced the ball from the center circle, passed it to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and ran forward to score from the return pass.

After scoring, PSG maintained a balanced and disciplined performance throughout the match. Arsenal did not get any solid opportunities to equalize and suffered their first defeat after 18 European home matches. Mikel Arteta’s team had previously defeated the reigning champions Real Madrid 5-1 over two legs to reach the semifinals.

At the end of the first half, Gabriel Martinelli’s powerful shot was brilliantly saved by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. At the start of the second half, Mikel Merino’s header went into the goal, but the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled it offside, making it invalid. Despite this, players like Leandro Trossard and Merino created chances, but Donnarumma stood like a wall.

In the final moments of the match, PSG slowed down the pace to maintain control. However, Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos had opportunities to double the lead. But Barcola’s shot went off-target, and Ramos’s attempt hit the crossbar.

The second match will be played on May 7 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where PSG will have a slight advantage. The team is close to making it to the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan, but they need to play cautiously, keeping their past experiences in mind.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar