Arsenal’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final hang in the balance after a 1-0 first-leg semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium, with Ousmane Dembélé’s early strike proving decisive. Despite surviving waves of pressure from a relentless PSG side, Mikel Arteta’s men now face a monumental task to overturn the deficit in Paris next week.

PSG announced their intent inside four minutes, capping a mesmerising 26-pass move as Dembélé swept home Kvicha Kvaratskhelia’s cutback after the Georgian terrorised Jurriën Timber down the left. The visitors dominated the opening exchanges, with Kvaratskhelia forcing David Raya into a sharp save and Fabián Ruiz rattling the post. Arsenal’s Dutch defender Timber endured a torrid first half, narrowly avoiding conceding a penalty for a tug on Kvaratskhelia, while the home crowd raged at referee Slavko Vincic’s decisions, including a contentious booking for Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal grew into the game before halftime, with Gabriel Martinelli denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma after a Myles Lewis-Skelly through-ball. Their best chance came in the 58th minute when Declan Rice surged forward to tee up Leandro Trossard, only for Donnarumma to stretch brilliantly and parry the Belgian’s effort. The Gunners thought they had equalised through Mikel Merino’s header from a clever free-kick routine, but VAR ruled the Spaniard offside after a three-minute review, deflating the Emirates crowd.

PSG, bolstered by January signing Kvaratskhelia, showcased tactical fluidity as Dembélé drifted into midfield, orchestrating attacks alongside Joao Neves and Vitinha. Luis Enrique’s substitutes nearly sealed the tie late on, with Bradley Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos both spurning gilt-edged chances. Arteta, limited in attacking options off the bench, introduced Ben White for Timber, but Arsenal lacked the cutting edge to breach a resolute PSG defense.

“We’re still alive, and we’ll go to Paris believing we can win,” Arteta insisted post-match. “To face a team of this quality and stay in the tie shows our character. We’ll need to be perfect there.” PSG boss Luis Enrique praised his side’s control: “We dominated phases, created chances, and are one step closer to the final. Arsenal are a top team, but we showed why we’ve beaten every English club this season.”

PSG, having now defeated all four Premier League Champions League entrants this term, will host the second leg on Wednesday as favorites to advance. For Arsenal, the dream of a first final since 2006 remains alive, but only if they can conquer a Parisian fortress that has humbled Europe’s elite.