Paris Saint-Germain excelled in the defeat of Arsenal with a total score of 3-1 after two semi-finals of the 2024/2025 Champions League, winning tickets for the final at the Allianz Arena, Munich, on May 31, 2025, where they will face Inter Milan. The Return of the Parc des Princes in the evening of May 7, 2025 was the peak performance of PSG, despite the confidence of coach Mikel Arteta, who said Arsenal as the strongest team in Europe despite the loss.
During the first leg on April 29, 2025 at the Emirates, PSG won 1-0 thanks to the first goal of Ousmane Dembélé in the 4th minute, taking advantage of the error of the Arsenal midfielder leaving the Dembélé freely in the courtyard. According to ESPN, PSG checked 75% of the duration of the ball in the first 15 minutes, which makes arsenal amazed. However, Arsenal created 1.65 XG (expected objectives) compared to the 1,14 PSG, with missed opportunities by Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, and Mikel Merino’s rejected objective because of the Var Var test. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma excelled with 5 stops, while Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos missed the opportunity to increase the gap for PSG.
The return match in Paris saw PSG continue. Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a dangerous volley after a misleading martinelli, the ball touched William Saliba changed direction, causing the abandonment of David Raya. Achraf Hakimi won a 2-1 victory in 72 minutes, bringing the total scoring to 3-0. Bukayo Saka withdrew a goal for Arsenal in the 80th minute, but only 4 minutes later, he missed the golden opportunity when he pulled on the bar at a distance of 6 m, extinguishing the hope of coming back. According to athletics, Arsenal created 3.14 XG and 19 shots, the highest before PSG this season, but the ineffectiveness of the finishing phase made them pay.
After the match, Arteta was still confident, listing 5 reasons why PSG Lucky: first, the first goals of the first leg came from the personal errors of Arsenal; Second, Merino’s table was refused due to the controversial offside; Third, Donnarumma has a day of ecstatic competition; Fourth, PSG’s attack has missed many opportunities, helping Arsenal not to lose more; And fifth, the absence of Thomas Partey in the first leg disturbed the environment in the middle. However, Luis Enrique refused, said PSG controlled the match and deserved to continue, according to The Guardian.
Fans on X, like @PSG_INSIDE, praised Hakimi and Ruiz’s brilliance, while @idgoonerscom criticized Martinelli and the Arsenal midfielder. PSG, with the explosion of Dembélé (8 goals, 11 assists in the Champions League), and the Vitinha midfielder, Neves, Ruiz, becomes a heavy candidate for the championship. Meanwhile, Arsenal, despite the failure, showed the potential with resilient performance, promising to come back strongly next season. PSG VS Final. Inter Milan promises to be the tip of the battle, when the two teams want the Silver trophy for the first time.
