PSG 2 Arsenal 1 (3-1 agg): Gunners' season over as Arteta's side rue missed chances and Donnarumma puts on masterclass
NOT for the first time, Mikel Arteta's failure to do the bloody obvious and sign a no9 properly bit him on the backside.
Declan Rice
had called on his team to show 'big balls' but what they really needed in this semi-final was a big
striker
.
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9
Paris Saint-Germain are into the Champions League final
Credit: Reuters
9
Achraf Hakimi netted the winner in a thrilling game at the Parc des Princes
Credit: AFP
9
Arsenal suffered a frustrating evening with missed chances in front of goal
Credit: Rex
9
Arsenal suffer defeat in the semi-final 16 years on from their previous last four knock-out
Credit: Getty
9
Declan Rice glanced an early header narrowly wide
Credit: Getty
9
Fabian Ruiz scored a superb opener for PSG
Credit: Reuters
9
David Raya saved a Vitinha penalty
Credit: EPA
Ollie Watkins
, who
summer
.
While swashbuckling PSG continued their emergence as a major European
football
force, Arsenal will now be left to reflect on what could have been.
Fabian Ruiz put PSG ahead and while
Vitinha
saw his 69th-minute penalty superbly saved by
Achraf Hakimi
made it 2-0 with a great finish.
Bukayo Saka pulled one back and then missed a great chance which, maybe, could have forced a PSG collapse.
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READ MORE ON ARSENAL
Yet ultimately, Arteta's team did not really do enough despite a late flourish and can not have too many complaints.
Yet had Arsenal scored three times in a terrific early spell when PSG seemed to be doing their best to choke on the big occasion, we would certainly have had a very different semi-final. Maybe one to match the madness of the one 24 hours earlier.
While
Paris
may be known as the city of love, Arsenal fans will not feel that way.
It is 19 years since Arsene Wenger's fine team were beaten in the final by
France
and this latest defeat will be just as painful.
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MatchDay Live
9
PSG will fancy their chances against
PSG may have reached the final five years ago but it feels as though this could now be their time.
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French riot police 'tear gas entire streets' as fans 'throw fireworks' in chaotic scenes before PSG vs Arsenal
9
Saka pulled one back
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They have now beaten
Manchester
City this season in the group stages and then dumped
Liverpool
,
Initially, Arsenal overwhelmed PSG in an absorbing start but they had nothing to show for it.
Declan Rice headed Jurrien Timber's cross wide and
Gabriel Martinelli
.
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Donnarumma seems to save his best for English teams as he saved two penalties in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out and was then also the spot-kick hero at Anfield.
He was at full stretch to turn around a low, powerful shot from Martin Odegaard with the PSG defence once again struggling with a long throw from
Thomas Partey
.
Donnarumma asked for treatment, claiming to be injured, but he was doing it to waste a bit of time as his team were on the ropes. He tried to take the
sting
out of Arsenal's confident, high
energy
start and it certainly worked.
PSG finally found the zip which was lacking in the first 20 minutes and after
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Declan Rice picked up a booking for wrapping his legs around Kvaratskhelia but it got much worse from Vitinha's free-kick.
Partey delivered a headed clearance but Ruiz delivered a magnificent first touch with his chest to steer the ball away from Martinelli and then unleashed a fine finish from the edge of the area.
It did seem to take a slight touch off
Arteta went crazy in his technical area. He called over Rice for some advice and tried in vain to get a message to
Saka
but it was too noisy inside the stadium.
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Martintelli was ordered to the touchline before being dispatched to the other side of the pitch to give Saka instructions.
There was a moment when Saka delivered a ball into the area but there was no-one there and he threw his arms in the air with frustration.
Saka produced Arsenal's best chance after the hour but once again, Donnarumma used his huge frame to somehow keep out the effort.
A minute later,
VAR
spotted a handball from
Myles Lewis-Skelly
which blocked a shot from Hakimi.
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Raya delivered an excellent save to keep out Vitinha's penalty, although a super-slow run-up made his spot-kick easy to predict.
Defender Hakimi then delivered a striker's finish after a mistake by Partey to put Enrique's team in total control.
There was some hope for Arsenal when Saka rounded Donnarumma to pull one back while PSG players appealed in vain for a foul from
Marquinhos
.
And the moment which could have maybe changed the tie came when Saka somehow missed from close range but he shinned the ball over from a few yards.
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Once again, had Arsenal had a No9, it could have been oh so different.
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Irish Examiner
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