PSG edge Arsenal to book Champions League final spot

08 May 2025 00:54
08 May 2025 00:55

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PSG edge Arsenal to book Champions League final spot

Photo: AP

Paris Saint-Germain secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League final after a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring for PSG in the 27th minute, giving the French side early control, News.Az reports.

The lead was doubled in the 72nd minute when Achraf Hakimi found the back of the net.

Arsenal responded quickly, with Bukayo Saka scoring just four minutes later in the 76th minute. However, it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.

PSG will now face Inter Milan in the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena on May 31.

What happened in the opening leg?

PSG took a big step towards reaching the final when Ousmane Dembele’s early goal sealed a 1-0 win at Arsenal in a tense first leg of the semifinal.

Dembele fired home off the post in the fourth minute as PSG dominated the opening stages, and manager Luis Enrique’s side held firm to take a precious advantage back to the French capital.

When did Arsenal and PSG last reach a UEFA Champions League final?

Neither side have won Europe’s premier football competition, but both have lost a final.

PSG made their only final appearance in the 2019-2020 season, losing to German side Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.

Arsenal’s participation in a UEFA Champions League final was 19 long years ago for Gunners fans, and they lost to Barcelona 2-1 in the 2005-2006 season at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.

Team news: PSG

Star striker Dembele, who limped off with a minor hamstring strain after scoring the game winner against Arsenal in the first leg in London, has been passed fit to play in the return leg, Enrique said on Tuesday.

Dembele, 27, is PSG’s top scorer this season with 33 goals in all competitions.

PSG’s regular squad is otherwise injury-free with Desire Doue tipped to re-enter the attacking winger role at the expense of France international Bradley Barcola.

Team news: Arsenal

Key midfielder Thomas Partey returns to the side after sitting out the first leg against PSG with a suspension, restoring manager Mikel Arteta’s preferred midfield trio with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

Jurrien Timber is questionable for this match as he continues to battle back to full fitness after a knee injury. But in some good news for the club, the Dutch defender was seen training with the Gunners squad on Tuesday shortly before they departed for France.

Sidelined stars Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori and Jorginho are all likely to play before the end of the Premier League season, but none of them is in contention for Champions League selection unless Arsenal make it to the final at the end of May.

Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all out until next season.

Possible lineups:

Arsenal possible XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Merino, Martinelli

PSG possible XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Joao Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Doue

Head-to-head:

The teams have played on six prior occasions across all competitions:

Arsenal wins: 3

PSG wins: 1

Draws: 2

What the managers had to say:

Arsenal’s Arteta: “If you want to be in the Champions League final, you have to do something special. We’re going to have to do something special in Paris to be there.”

PSG’s Enrique: “We’re bound to suffer because our opponents don’t have a favourable result. We need to match our performance as closely as possible in the first leg to win the return leg and stay true to our ideas.”