PSG vs Arsenal LIVE: Mikel Arteta makes bold claim after Gunners crash out of Champions League
PSG 2-1 Arsenal (agg: 3-1): Inter Milan await PSG Champions League in the final after they see off Gunners in Paris
Paris Saint-Germain weathered an early Arsenal storm before goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed a 2-1 victory to send them into the Champions League final.
The French champions' 3-1 aggregate triumph means they can now finally win the trophy they crave for the first time when they face Italian heavyweights Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.
Trailing 1-0 from last week's first leg, Arsenal dominated the early stages in the Parc des Princes with PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma making vital saves. The Gunners were made to pay for not taking their chances as Ruiz then slammed home a stunning left-foot shot past David Raya in the 27th minute to double PSG's aggregate lead.
Raya saved Vitinha's poor penalty in the 69th minute, which had been controversially rewarded for a handball, but shortly afterwards Hakimi made it 2-0 on the night with a sweetly-struck shot that gave Raya no chance.
Bukayo Saka replied in the 76th minute and then blazed a glorious chance over the crossbar as the visitors fell short of reaching the final for the first time since 2006.
Relive all the action from Paris with our live blog below:
PSG's route through the knockouts
After finishing 15th in an underwhelming league phase, PSG have looked a totally different beast in the knockouts and are now odds-on favourites to win the whole competition. Here is the route they have taken to the semi-final:
Knockout phase play-off
Brest 0-3 PSG
PSG 7-0 Brest (agg 10-0)
Round of 16
PSG 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 0-1 PSG (agg 1-1, PSG won 4-1 on penalties)
Quarter-final:
PSG 3-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 3-2 PSG (agg 4-5)
Arsenal's route through the knockouts
After finishing third in the league phase, here is the route Arsenal have had to take to get to the Champions League semi-final:
Round of 16
PSV 1-7 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-2 PSV (agg 9-3)
Quarter-final:
Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal (agg 1-5)
Declan Rice demands Arsenal show ‘big balls’ in bid to reach Champions League final
Declan Rice said Arsenal need to have "big balls" to deliver the biggest night in the club's history by overcoming the odds to beat Paris Saint-Germain and book their place in the Champions League final.
"We need to have big balls and go out there on the biggest stage and show that we are ready to play on the biggest level," said Rice on the eve of Wednesday's fixture at the Parc des Princes.
"It is going to be the biggest night in this club's history if we get to the final so we are fully ready to go.
"You need to have full belief and we certainly have that as a group because the manager drills that into us every day and if we are the best version of ourselves - and we know we can be that - there is no stopping us getting into that final.”
Declan Rice demands Arsenal show ‘big balls’ in bid to reach Champions League final
Is PSG vs Arsenal on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch
PSG vs Arsenal is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 7 May at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the action live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can also stream the match live on discovery+.
You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
PSG v Arsenal latest odds - first goalscorer
Ousmane Dembele5/1
Bradley Barcola 6/1
Desire Doue 13/2
Goncalo Ramos 13/2
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia7/1
Bukayo Saka 15/2
Mikel Merino 8/1
Gabriel Martinelli 9/1
Leandro Trossard 10/1
Raheem Sterling 10/1
Vitinha14/1
Martin Odegaard 16/1
Declan Rice 18/1
Thomas Partey 18/1
Achraf Hakimi 22/1
Fabian Ruiz 22/1
Nuno Mendes 25/1
PSG v Arsenal latest odds
PSG to progress - 2/11
Arsenal to progress - 7/2
Match odds
PSG - 6/5
Draw - 13/5
Arsenal - 19/10
Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain: Tell us who you think will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final
Arsenal head to Paris on Wednesday night knowing only a bold performance will keep their Champions League dream alive.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg after Ousmane Dembélé’s early strike at the Emirates, the Gunners must overturn the deficit at the Parc des Princes to reach their first final since 2006 and chase a maiden European crown.
Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to impose themselves last week and suffered another setback with a 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. With Liverpool’s Premier League victory confirmed, the Champions League is now their sole shot at silverware.
Declan Rice has urged his teammates to rise to the occasion. “We need to have big balls and show we’re ready to play at the highest level,” he said. “If we’re the best version of ourselves, there’s no stopping us getting to that final.”
Arsenal can draw confidence from their 2-0 win over PSG in the group stage, but Luis Enrique’s side have grown stronger since October.
With 90 minutes separating both clubs from a place in the final against Inter Milan, everything is on the line. Can Arsenal pull off a comeback?
Last week, 73% of readers were confident Arsenal could progress to Munich. Has that changed? Have your say below.
.png?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
Cast your vote: Arsenal or PSG – who will reach the Champions League final?
Martin Odegaard urges Arsenal to get ready for ‘massive game’ against PSG
Martin Odegaard urged everyone associated with Arsenal to stick together after they warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final showdown at Paris St Germain with a home defeat by Bournemouth.
“We’re disappointed now, but we have to move on and be strong and stick together and prepare for a massive game,” Odegaard reflected.
“It’s a massive game. That’s the good thing. When you’re disappointed now and you’re angry and frustrated, you can use all those emotions into Wednesday.
“We know what we’re playing for, it’s a massive game, we have to stick together and create energy and be ready.”
Inter Milan await the winners after a thrilling win v Barcelona - but was it the greatest ever semi-final?
After a game that pushed emotions to extremes, an exhausted Simone Inzaghi became philosophical.
“Yes, we suffered,” the Inter Milan manager said, before hailing his side’s jaw-dropping 7-6 aggregate win over Barcelona. “But there is no final without a little suffering.”
That’s at least for anyone on the pitch, or those with an emotional connection to either club. For everyone else, such exertions just created full enjoyment; total spectacle; complete glory… an “epic” as the Spanish newspapers proclaimed.
This was just one of those matches - let alone the entire tie - that is so immersive it becomes a celebration of the pure game as it’s played, no matter everything else around it. This is why football is the most popular sport in the world. “Que locura” - “what a madness” - a member of the Barcelona contingent could be seen mouthing after four hours of absorbing football.
That’s another way to sum it up. To take Inzaghi’s point and turn it on its head, though, there’s arguably no final that has gone to these extremes. Run through it now. How many truly great Champions League finals have there been over the last few years, or even this millennium? Arguably only 2005.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments