This past week, the UK-based Premier League team Arsenal FC faced France’s Ligue 1 team Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in a Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League group stage match. The match took place at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s home field with kickoff at 2 p.m.
Coming into the match, the Ligue1 champions were predicted to win as Arsenal was still missing their captain and skilled midfielder, Martin Odegaard, who suffered an ankle injury in a recent match with his home team of Norway. Popular pre-match betting websites predicted higher chances of a draw or a PSG win. Arsenal had drawn a 0-0 in its last UEFA match against Atalanta, a team from Italy’s Serie A. PSG, on the other hand, had won their first match 1-0 against Pirona, making the Premier League team’s chances seem even lower.
The match started off poorly for Arsenal when German midfielder Kai Havertz was found offside, by referee Slavko Vincici, and PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma successfully defended against a free kick. PSG, however, is unable to convert two shots into goals due to Spanish goalkeeper David Raya.
The Gunners, Arsenal’s club nickname, quickly turned their luck around in the 20th minute when forward Leandro Trossard was left unguarded and sent a loft straight to Havertz, giving him a clean and open shot at the French team’s goal. PSG attempted to retaliate with a shot from Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes, but it hit the side post and bounced off.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 35th minute with a goal from newly-appointed captain Bukayo Saka, who delivered a strong cross directly into an open goal box. PSG managed to dominate possession throughout the first half, but were unable to convert any shots into points thanks to Arsenal’s strong defense.
Going into the second half, the Gunners had clear confidence and advantage against the Ligue-1 champions as head coach Mikel Arteta proceeded to substitute in Mikel Merino for his team debut. The Spanish star had been out on injury since moving from Real Sociedad.
The rest of the match proceeded with much vigor as the French team fought hard to convert strong shots from Lee Kang-in and Joao Neves, but were blocked by Raya’s impressive defense which has given Arsenal a real advantage the past few months.
Emotions were running high, as PSG’s Fabian Ruiz and Arsenal’s new member Riccardo Calafiori had an altercation on the pitch, leading to the pair receiving yellow cards.
In the end, the London-based team kept their two goal advantage against PSG with a successful win on their home pitch, receiving three points in the Champions League standings.
After the match, Havertz was named the Player of The Match for his early goal and excellent passing accuracy. Currently, Arsenal is ranked 13th and PSG 18th in the UEFA Champion League standings. With each team still having to play six matches before the playoff stage, the table has plenty of places to shift.
