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:
KICK-OFF! PSG 0-0 Arsenal (agg 1-0)
WE ARE UNDERWAY IN PARIS!
This is do or die for Arsenal. Same for PSG, with this competition being their holy grail.
The stadium is fever pitch. We’re off.
Parce des Princes setting the tone
We’re getting a pretty spectacular fireworks before the players walk out to the Parc des Princes. This has a serious big-match feel to it, as it should.
Here come the teams, under the Paris evening sun. Something special about a Champions League night when the sky is still light. Only happens a couple times a season - but when it does, you know a lot is at stake.
The iconic anthem is played, finished by the customary “champions” chant by the home fans. We’re just about ready to get going.
Closing in on kick-off
Just 10 minutes until we get underway at the Parc des Princes. This is huge.
Arsenal’s season lies in the balance. At the end of tonight, they will either be in a first Champions League final since the heartbreak of 2006, or will be confirmed to have gone another campaign trophyless.
This one is not to be missed. A finale showcase with Inter Milan awaits.
Stay tuned for all the play-by-play action from Paris, up next.
Mikel Arteta's final pre-match thoughts
"It's not just where we want to be, we want to make the final and we're very close,” he told TNT Sports. “We learned a lot from the first game so we have a big conviction that we're going to do it tonight.
"It's where this club deserves to be but there's so much more to do, so much to win and so much consistency to show. Hopefully we're on the right trajectory.
"We're going to need a lot of players as it will be a really intensive match and we will have to change the game at some time so we need some fresh legs.
"They [PSG] were quite direct, we expected them to play much more but they were more direct so hopefully we can do better.
"We've faced big atmospheres every time in the Premier League. This club has been trying to reach the final and win it for a long time, hopefully that can play in our favour."
Dembele starts on the bench - but PSG have depth in quality
Ousmane Dembele may only be fit enough to start tonight on the bench, but that doesn’t exactly leave PSG toothless up top.
Even without their talisman, a front three of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola is one that will be sure to strike fear into any defence.
And for the neutral, it’s an attack that will be sure to entertain.
Arsenal hoping to keep dreams of Champions League immortality alive
Arsenal’s 2024/25 Champions League campaign has not been short of special nights.
They’ll need another famous outing in Paris to book their place in Munich, where Inter Milan awaits the winner.
The goal that separates the sides ahead of the second leg
A dazzling finish by Ousmane Dembele stunned Arsenal inside four minutes last week. It’s crucial that the Gunners get off on the right foot this time around.
They’ll be buoyed by the fact the goalscorer starts tonight on the bench.
PSG players met by raucous welcome
Luis Enrique bracing for a difficult night
"It is a special game and we will approach it just as we have done until now," Enrique said.
"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."
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