Another UCL night today, and this time it’s Arsenal vs PSG in the semi-finals, first leg. Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring in the 4th minute—imagine conceding a goal just 4 minutes into the game, at home! Definitely need to check your defense after that.
Anyway, the match ended 1-0 in PSG’s favor. So, Arsenal will have to hope for a comeback, or "Remontada," as they call it in Spain, in the second leg. Of course, many people think a 1-0 defeat isn’t bad and that it’s easy to come back from. But let me remind you, PSG dominated Arsenal throughout the game, both literally and figuratively. In fact, the only thing that stopped PSG from adding another goal was two things: Arsenal’s keeper, David Raya, and the fact that PSG, like Arsenal, doesn’t have a striker.
Though, unlike Arsenal, their lack of strikers wasn’t caused by injuries but rather by Luis Enrique’s style of playing with three left wingers. That could cost them, especially if they face a team like Barcelona in the final. Look at me, already thinking PSG will make it past Arsenal.
Well, you can’t blame me, right? It’s basically in Arsenal’s history to bottle trophies. It’s like they’re allergic to them. Finishing second twice in the Premier League and about to finish second for the third time in a row—are they not tired of giving out guard of honors? When will it be their turn? In Nigerian parlance, we say, "Suffer no dey tire you?" After all this, Arsenal will still post motivational videos on their website—motivation without trophies. "Inspiration FC."
Back to the match. Arsenal captain Odegaard—was he even playing as a midfielder? He seemed completely absent from the game. PSG’s Mendes kept Bukayo Saka in his pocket like he’s some kind of great defender.
Now, let’s talk about match analysis. Arsenal’s midfielder turned false nine, since all their real nines are “unavailable,” had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR in the 50th minute. So technically, the game ended 1-0 in favor of PSG.
Considering this is Arsenal’s first time in 16 years reaching the semi-finals, what was played today wasn’t exactly what was expected. Maybe they’re just still reeling from the hype of beating Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate. Well, breaking news: if Arsenal doesn’t win the UCL, no one will remember they "beat Madrid."
In fact, there’s no special recognition for having beaten Real Madrid. Real Madrid is just another club, and any team can beat them. Honestly speaking, if Arsenal wants to win the UCL, now is probably the right time. Trust me when I say I expect Real Madrid to come back stronger. As for PSG, Luis Enrique is doing a great job, and they have a real shot at winning their first UCL title—if they make it to the final, of course. But the path seems clear for PSG, especially with them playing against Arsenal—Trophy Bottling FC.
But again, anything can happen in the second leg. For now, though, this is what UCL nights are all about.
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