Arsenal’s Champions League campaign ended with a 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final second leg, sealing a 3-1 defeat on aggregate. Despite a bright start at the Parc des Princes, Mikel Arteta’s side couldn’t capitalise on early chances. Within the first eight minutes, Declan Rice headed wide, and Gianluigi Donnarumma made two excellent saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard.
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Arsenal dominated the opening stages but found themselves behind when Fabian Ruiz struck a thunderous goal after a poorly cleared free-kick. The warning signs had already emerged when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the post just minutes earlier. Arsenal’s vulnerability from set-pieces remains a concern, having now conceded five goals from dead-ball situations.
Since the start of April tied with Ipswich Town for the most across all competitions in that span. The Gunners pushed hard, delivering 17 crosses in the first half alone, above their average for a full European game this season. Yet, the challenge ahead was steep. To progress, Arsenal needed to overturn a half-time deficit in a Champions League away game. They had only managed once in their previous 30 attempts.
Arsenal’s Resilience Falls Short as PSG Advance to Champions League Final
PSG’s clinical edge proved decisive, as they advanced to the final to face Inter Milan. Bukayo Saka nearly brought Arsenal level just after the hour mark, but Gianluigi Donnarumma continued his heroic form against English sides with another superb fingertip save. PSG soon had the chance to seal the tie when a VAR review awarded them a penalty for a Myles Lewis-Skelly handball.
However, David Raya stepped up, diving low to his left to deny Vitinha’s weak spot-kick and keep Arsenal’s hopes alive. Arsenal’s hopes took another hit just minutes later as their defensive weaknesses were exposed once more. Thomas Partey, back from suspension, was caught in possession inside his box by Ousmane Dembele.
He laid the ball off for Achraf Hakimi to coolly finish past Raya, making it 2-0 on the night. Despite the setback, Arsenal showed resilience and clawed their way back into the contest with just under 15 minutes remaining. Leandro Trossard battled past Marquinhos and crossed for Saka, who scored on the rebound after his initial effort was saved.
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Arsenal’s Wastefulness Proves Costly
That spark nearly turned into something more, as Saka had a golden chance to equalise in the 80th minute. Unmarked from Riccardo Calafiori’s cross and with an xg of 0.81, he fired over from six yards. A miss that summed up Arsenal’s night and sealed their Champions League exit. Despite Gianluigi Donnarumma’s outstanding performance for PSG, Arsenal will be left frustrated by their lack of clinical finishing.
Over the two legs, the Gunners generated a combined 4.77 Expected Goals (xg). But managed just one goal and inefficiency that may intensify calls for a new striker. Their 3.14 xg in the second leg was the highest recorded against PSG in this season’s Champions League. Their 19 shots marked their most in a knockout match since a 2016 clash with Barcelona.
Mikel Arteta acknowledged Donnarumma’s impact, saying the Italian goalkeeper won the game for PSG. But he also pointed to Arsenal’s injury woes, key players Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz were all absent, having been ruled out for the remainder of the season. I’m incredibly proud of the players, Arteta said.
Given the context and the injuries, this is probably the worst condition we could be in coming into such a big game. Still, the players gave everything, and that gives me encouragement for the future, but tonight, I’m very upset. Arteta boldly claimed that Arsenal had been the best team in this year’s competition, adding.
Arsenal Eyes on Champions League Qualification
This tournament is decided in both boxes, and PSG had the best goalkeeper and the most clinical finishers. Declan Rice echoed Mikel Arteta’s praise for Gianluigi Donnarumma, while voicing his frustration over Arsenal’s inability to capitalise on their early dominance in Paris. Speaking to TNT Sports, the midfielder said, It’s gutting.
We started so strongly that if one of those early chances had gone in, the whole game would’ve changed. That’s football. Small margins. It felt like it just wasn’t our night. We gave it our all, and across both legs, we had enough chances to score three or four, but Donnarumma was outstanding.
With their Champions League dream over for this season, Arsenal must now focus on securing qualification for next year’s competition. Arsenal have now lost all four of their two-legged semi-finals under Arteta. And attention now turns to their final three fixtures in the Premier League. They face a tough trip to Anfield to play newly crowned champions Liverpool. Followed by a crucial home clash against top-five contenders Newcastle United.
Arsenal need to collect four points from their remaining three games to guarantee a spot in next season’s Champions League. After three straight defeats in all competitions, they must regroup quickly and rediscover their form. Sunday’s match at Anfield offers a crucial opportunity to reset and keep their season goals alive.
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