Arsenal Face Uphill Battle After First-Leg Defeat to PSG in Champions League Semi-Final
Arsenal have a tough task ahead after falling 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night. The Gunners had come into the match brimming with confidence after a dominant win over Real Madrid in the previous round and were hoping to carry that momentum forward at the Emirates.
But PSG struck early, with Ousmane Dembele opening the scoring just four minutes in. Although Arsenal responded with attacking intent and created several chances, they were repeatedly denied by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Despite pushing hard for an equaliser, the home side couldn’t break through. PSG, meanwhile, missed late opportunities to extend their lead, leaving the tie delicately poised at 1-0 heading into the return leg in Paris.
David Raya’s Reaction Draws Criticism from Rooney and Seedorf
After the match, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya gave an upbeat assessment of his team’s performance. He claimed the Gunners were the better side after the first 20 minutes and praised their dominance and chance creation, saying: “They started strong, but after that we dominated most of the game. Donnarumma made some great saves. It’s only half-time.”
Raya remained optimistic about the second leg, saying Arsenal would approach it with the same mindset: “I thought we played really, really well… We can win against any team. Let’s go to Paris and win it.”
However, his comments didn’t sit well with pundits Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf. Rooney suggested Raya’s remarks echoed Mikel Arteta’s attempts to stay positive, but didn’t reflect the actual performance. He questioned Arsenal’s mentality in big games, implying there was still a psychological barrier the team hadn’t overcome.
Seedorf echoed the sentiment, stating that post-match emotions can cloud judgment and urged Raya to review the game objectively. He emphasized that Arsenal could learn a lot from their mistakes and improve in the second leg, especially by maintaining defensive discipline to exploit PSG’s vulnerabilities.
The decisive second leg will be held in Paris on Wednesday, May 7, with Arsenal needing a much stronger performance to keep their Champions League hopes alive.