Big European nights have a particular sound created by Emirates Stadium. Maybe this is finally our time. But it all disappeared just four minutes after the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Like a candle in the wind.
Paris Saint-Germain came to London with plans: Hit hard and hit quickly. Arsenal barely had time to flash before the scoreboard reads 0-1.
It was a beautiful yet brutal opening – the pass directly from the kickoff, uninterrupted by PSG moving like an oiled machine, Osmane Dembele devoured and calmly finished. Arsenal had not touched the ball. The PSG felt like it had sucked air out of the stadium with surgical accuracy.
This hasn’t been a scatterblazing, flashy yet Frazir PSG that we’ve seen in the past few years. This was a team with a ruthless edge. Arsenal was not ready for such an opening blitz for all its growth under Mikel Arteta.
The night I asked the question
After the initial shock, Arsenal woke up. slowly. Gabriel Martinelli has almost bent over past Genruiri Donnarumamari. Leandro Trossard forced another save. Merino’s headers temporarily sparked a celebration – until Val shook it off. It was one of those nights that everything just felt… 0.5 seconds off.
Arteta’s team seemed to get caught between the two’s minds. It was somewhere along the way, if such a thing existed.
Sometimes the gunner would move the ball with purpose. Otherwise, they looked like they were dragging themselves down the piano uphill.
Missing pieces: the middle part
Thomas Party’s absence was noticeable – it was glare. There was no steel in the middle. Declan Rice, the highly dominant in Madrid, was forced to play safely. Driving was driving, vertical energy, biting – everything slowed down.
The gap where Partey had a wide open normal patrol when PSG broke through the middle for his target. It’s not stretch to say that his suspension may have shifted the overall rhythm of the game. He comes back for his return leg – and Arsenal desperately needs him.
What happened to the set piece threat?
Earlier this season, Arsenal turned the dead ball into gold. Corner, free kick – if they got it, it felt like a real opportunity. For PSG? there is nothing. Flat delivery, easy clearance, missed chances. It was an inexplicable no-show for the team that built up some of their identity regarding set-piece advantage.
Especially when you think that PSG recognizes more goals than anyone else from the set piece of Ligue 1. Arsenal didn’t just miss the opportunity – they never really tried to take it
Everything or nothing in Paris
This was not the night Arsenal fans dreamed of. But the dream is not dead – yet.
It requires something extraordinary from the Parc des Princess. Arteta believes that his side can do it. They have already survived Madrid. They have already made history. But now, with their backs on the wall, they still need to write the most thrilling chapters.
One goal down. A game to go to. There is no margin of error. And still to fight for everything.
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