Key events
“Arsenal needed a fox in the box,” says Martin Keown on TNT Sports. He knows, he was there in ‘93.
For one of Europe’s Big Five leagues, a drought will end on 31 May. Either Internazionale will become the first Italian side to win the Champions League since Jose Mourinho in 2010, or PSG will become the first French team to do so since Marseille in 1993.
“Non, rien de rien; je ne regrette rien,” begins Charles Antaki. “Arteta would be entitled to lead the team in a rueful locker-room chorus of that Piaf classic. Injuries, form, slips, the hole where a killer centre-forward should be – yes, maybe those are regrettable; but outweighed by spirit and effort. Or nearly.”
I thought they were superb tonight, particularly Saka, Rice (apart from the first goal) and Saliba. The contrast with last year’s timid elimination is enormous. And, as Barney wrote this morning, the way you lose matters.
“Goalkeepers win trophies really,” says Gary Naylor. “Just an interregnum when Messi and Ronaldo fooled us.”
It will be PSG’s second European Cup final – they lost 1-0 to Bayern behind closed doors in 2020 – and they will surely start as favourites. That’s no slight on Inter’s mentality monsters, just a reflection of PSG’s brilliance. They are a joy to watch.
Full time: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal (agg: 3-1)
Paris Saint-Germain’s young team are one game away from immortality. They will play Internazionale in the final after seeing off Arsenal on an exhilarating night in Paris. It was a fabulous game, played with rare intensity; Arsenal couldn’t have given more and will lament the margins at this elite level – and the remarkable reflexes and agility of Gianluigi Donnarumma. They failed better than last year, but that will be no consolation for the next few days.
90+2 min White’s flat cross is headed across goal and wide by Merino. A tricky chance, and probably Arsenal’s last.
In the parlance of our time, Arsenal have left it all out there. But so have PSG, and they had just a little bit more to leave.
90+1 min Five minutes of added time.
90 min The last time PSG won a European trophy was, and you’ll like this, the Intertoto Cup in 2001. They beat Brescia, Roberto Baggio and all, on away goals after a 1-1 aggregate draw. Mikel Arteta was in that team, whatever that means.
90 min The aggregate score doesn’t tell the full story of a fascinating semi-final. Gianluigi Donnarumma has made three genuinely awesome saves across both legs, and Arsenal started this second leg with ferocious intent. But overall, PSG deserve to go through to play Internazionale in Munich on 31 May; they are a truly brilliant football team, and the T-word is the operative one.
In this year’s competition PSG have eliminated Manchester City (kind of), Liverpool, Aston Villa and now Arsenal, which means they get to keep English football for the next 12 months.
89 min Partey’s cross is headed well wide by White, who couldn’t get a clean jump because of Hernandez’s challenge.
88 min: PSG substitution Goncalo Ramos replaces Nuno Mendes, so Lucas Hernandez will move to left-back. I’ll level with you, I haven’t a clue where he was playing before that.
86 min Now Saka has been booked for… actually I’ve no idea. Anyone? Anyone? Fry?
85 min Calafiori is shoved over off the ball by Kvaratskhelia and goes looking for a physical right of reply. Both players are booked.
84 min Last year, Arsenal departed the Champions League with a meek performance in Munich. Whatever happens, they can’t be accused of that tonight. They’ve gone toe to toe with a sensational team in one of the most hostile atmospheres in European football.
83 min: Arsenal substitution Ben White is on for Jurrien Timber at right-back.
82 min A fierce free-kick from Hakimi wobbles a couple of yards wide. Raya had it covered and pulled his hand away.
81 min A sharp PSG break ends with a crisp shot from Dembele that is pushed up in the air and away by Raya. A relatively comfortable save, certainly by the stands Donnarumma has set tonight.
80 min: Glorious chance for Saka! Oh my giddy days. Calafiori’s brilliant cross on the run beats the diving Donnarumma and is half-volleyed over the bar by Saka. It was an open goal, he was maybe 10 yards out, but he couldn’t get over the ball with his right foot.
78 min A superbly judged press from Rice 20 yards from goal almost leads to a chance for Arsenal. PSG suddenly look a bit jittery.
Trossard eases Marquinhos off the ball on the left wing, moves forward and crosses low towards the near post. It’s cut out by a combination of a defender and Donnarumma but runs perfectly for Saka to slide into the empty net. Marquinhos wanted a free-kick for the challenge by Trossard; replays confirm he was trying it on.
GOAL! PSG 2-1 Arsenal (agg: 3-1; Saka 76)
If ever a man deserved a goal.
74 min: PSG substitution Lucas Hernandez for Desire Doue.
Achraf Hakimi has put PSG into the Champions League final! Kvaratskhelia’s cutback went straight to Partey on the edge of the area, but he dithered and was robbed by Hakimi. He played a quick one-two with Dembele and shaped a sweet right-foot shot into the far corner from 15 yards. Lovely finish. But Arsenal will lament both Partey’s indecision and the loose pass from Kiwior that sparked the PSG break.
GOAL! PSG 2-0 Arsenal (agg: 3-0; Hakimi 72)
It’s all over now, baby blue.
70 min: PSG substitution Ousmane Dembele is on for Bradley Barcola. That means Doue will move to the right wing.
DAVID RAYA SAVES THE PENALTY!
69 min: PSG 1-0 Arsenal (agg: 2-0) It was a stinker of a penalty, the kind of softly struck shot that relies entirely on the keeper going the wrong way. Raya didn’t; he waited, waited some more and then plunged to his left to push it round the post.
69 min: Double Arsenal substitution Trossard and Calafiori for Martinelli and Lewis-Skelly.
Now, Vitinha is over the penalty…
PENALTY TO PSG!
67 min Under the laws, I guess it’s fair enough – and PSG suffered on this ground against Man Utd in 2019-20 – but to anyone who has played football, that’s just nonsense. I don’t think anybody appealed. Play certainly continued and then suddenly the referee was running over to the monitor.
66 min: VAR check for a PSG penalty! What’s happened here? I think this will be given. Hakimi’s shot brushed the fingertips of Lewis-Skelly, who was trying to block and twisted his body into an odd position. His right arm was outstretched and that usually means trouble for a defender.
Wonderful save from Donnarumma!
64 min Saka, on the right edge of the area, cut inside and curled a trademark curler towards the far top corner. It was perfectly weighted, heading for the postage stamp, but Donnarumma strained every sinew to fingertip it over the bar. He’s not a goalkeeper, he’s Inspector Gadget.
Given the Euro 2021 final, not to mention this tie, Saka must wonder what he has to do to score past Donnarumma.
62 min “That United v Newcastle FA Cup tie, featuring Jim Leighton, Roy Aitken, Mark McGhee and another typical Brian McClair finish, practically falling over as he sclaffed the ball into the net,” says Simon McMahon. “I liked him a lot as a player, and I’m not sure how long the Puskas Award has been around, but I doubt whether he would have made many shortlists. Or Mick Quinn either. A goals a goal, though, beautiful or not.”
You wash your mouth out this instant.
60 min Saka continues to ooze moral courage, demanding the ball and running at the defender every single time he gets it. He’s fouled, which means a free-kick on the right wing to be taken by Odegaard. Donnarumma comes through the crowd and gets good distance on his punch.
59 min Saka’s dangerous inswinger is headed across goal and wide by Timber, who got to the ball in front of Donnarumma at the near post. That was half a chance.
58 min Saka curls the corner right under the crossbar and Donnarumma punches it over the bar for another.
57 min Saka’s shot from the angle is deflected behind by Nuno Mendes. Saka runs across to attend to business…
56 min Vitinha shows ridiculously good footwork to beat Timber and Partey on the byline in the area. His cross takes a deflection and is claimed by Raya, but that run will be coming to a meme near you soon. Meme, is that what they’re called?
56 min Lewis-Skelly, who like Nuno Mendes has looked more vulnerable than in the first leg, brings down Barcola and is booked.
54 min Nuno Mendes turns the tables on Saka for the first time in a while, charging down the left before pushing the ball infield to Doue. He faces up Kiwior and tries to surprise Raya with an early sidefoot across goal. He gets too much on it and it goes well wide.
53 min PSG have made a more assured start to the second half than they did the first. Arsenal need something to change the mood: a near miss, a four-minute hat-trick from Jurrien Timber.
50 min Saka’s okay.
