Gianluigi Donnarumma shakes hands with Mikel Merino

Champions League is not over for Arsenal – there’s still 90 minutes to go

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

On Tuesday evening, Arsenal narrowly fell 1-0 to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

The Gunners fell behind early on due to a close-range Ousmane Dembélé strike within the opening five minutes.

It would haunt Mikel Arteta’s team for the rest of the match, which witnessed Arsenal slowly drop off from that moment onwards.

Admittedly, it was a shame to lose to PSG, whom we had ironically beaten earlier in this Champions League campaign at home 2-0.

It was certainly surprising that we did not even score against them, especially after a dazzling 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, who are the current holders and were one of the favourites for the trophy again.

However, there is still time to overturn the deficit, and surely Arsenal will not settle for a repeat in France.

Tuesday night was not a true performance reflecting Arsenal’s real capabilities, which they have shown this season, for example the 5-1 win against Manchester City and other impressive European displays such as the 7-1 demolition of PSV during the first leg of the round of 16.

PSV v Arsenal
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Arsenal are only 180 minutes away from potentially sealing their first ever Champions League title, and they still have much more to show in the final 90 minutes of the semi-final.

If we have already stolen the show against PSG once, we can do it again when it matters the most.

There is still time on the North Londoners’ side, and anything can happen.

Will the Arsenal we all truly know at their best turn up?

Liam Harding

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29 Comments

  1. It is not over at all ,but PSG should have been 3-4 nil up away .
    Been reading comments over the last few days saying it was a pretty even ,not sure what some fans watched TBH .
    Either way all to play for and anything could happen I suppose .

    1. If you say 3-4 nil , did you also watch it because you are conveniently disregarding potential goals we could have scored when their GK was amongst the highest performers

  2. Not over, hopefully we’ll get some players back to boost the squad. Hopefully Arsenal will be ready mentally, I suspect this tie will be decided on penalties

    1. Only Partey will be back of the starters. Other potential returnees are not starters and doubt will impact

  3. 3-2 will help Sir. Martinelli and Trossard were big chances and marginal offside goal by Merino. Actually the XG was in Arsenal favour. However Arsenal were embarrassed in the first 30 mins

  4. It’s not a shame we lost to the best side left in this competition, especially as we were without Partey who in my opinion is the most irreplaceable player in the squad.

    We can still progress, however unlikely the chances are.

  5. I was b4 the game and still am more confident of us going to there place and winning then us getting a result at our place
    Imo I think the seeding situation has helped us out
    By right, the position we finished in the league should have had us playing the 2nd league at home rather then away
    Low block on the break plus party back helps us.
    Releases DR to take up his best position for us.
    Merino back up top
    Seen lots.of comments over the past few days and whilst we were ok but not great I thought PSG were a proper team and also the better team by a mile. Lucky to still be in this tie as they should have had 3 or 4 but we could have had 2 or 3 our self’s but a good result in the end for us and they are probably kicking them selves for not finishing us off which will come back to haunt them
    Onwards and upwards

  6. The match stats for Tuesday’s game show expected goals of Arsenal 1.65, PSG 1.14, so take whatever you want from that.
    Even so, it was a poor performance, a missed opportunity, and it’s hard to see them turning it around now.

  7. There was a hint of over-confidence among the Arsenal players arising, most likely, from the way they dismantled Real Madrid.
    Having been brought back down-to-earth, and with only a one-goal deficit to make up, I think we will see a different game in Paris. I hope so.

  8. We’re overachieving with the injuries and no striker, but hopefully if Dembele is out and Partey returning, we stand a much better chance.

    The big worry is that because we’re down to the bare bones, we haven’t got too many options to rotate this weekend, in a game we need to win to really nail down that 2nd spot.

    1. Since the window shut we have won 4 out of 10 League games , that’s allot of dropped points

      That’s not overachieving , that’s doing exactly what we thought would happen , the gap got bigger

    2. And we all know that a lot of the fans love second place, don’t we Lucy78.🙄🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

  9. Am not sure why I can’t see Arsenal out of the champions league finals.
    It’s like the one nil lost is by design, we just have to do it the hard way.

    Arsenal away form in Europe is nothing but fantastic, we have won each of our last four away game In the champions league scoring some 16 goals in the process.
    A keep telling a certain fan, this is the time when Arsenal dip their bread, when their back is firmly against the wall.
    It’s like we just have to enter the final in some some form of dramatic style .

    The script is already written, the fact that Donnarumma was the busier of the goal keepers in London had long convinced me this tie is miles from being settled.

    1. If we dip our bread when our back is against the wall why is it years since we won a trophy

      Like it sounds lovely ,a great metaphor but not true is it ?

      1. Dan,

        When our backs are against the wall we always produce, according to some.

        21 years and still waiting, how big is this flipping wall.😂🤣👍😉

        1. Yeah sadly the perception of us from other fans is the opposite
          A team who mentally go missing more times then not when it matters

            1. But no one is saying we can’t win the second leg
              We are saying this idea that we always respond when our backs are to the wall ( which you said a couple of times ) is simply something you made up
              There are numerous examples under Arteta when backs have been to the wall and we failed to respond

              1. Dan,

                Maybe we should face up to the wall, the results might be different.😂🤣👍😉

  10. Dembele – Merino
    Kvaratskhelia – Martinelli
    Neves – Odegaard
    Doue – Saka
    Ruiz – Rice
    Vitinha – Partey
    Mendes – Skelly
    Pacho – Kiwior
    Marqhuinos – Saliba
    Hakimi – Timber
    Donnaruma – Raya

    Dembele.

    Kvaratskhelia. Neves. Saka.

    Rice. Partey.

    Skelly. Pacho. Saliba. Timber.

    Donnaruma.

  11. Donnaruma

    Hakimi Marqinhos Saliba Mendes
    Rice , Partey Vitna
    Saka. . Kvaratskhelia
    Dembele

  12. Depends which Arsenal show up to play; Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde.
    Also, will Arteta play to win or play not to lose and safety first?

    1. Its not in Enrique’s nature to sit back and defend. I think the defensive approach might actually be the way forward. Difference this time being we have Partey starting off the counter attacks.

      In my mind this leg is less tricky than the home leg due to Thomas being available and Merino playing the false 9.

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