Arsenal have secured their first win in the UEFA Champions League this season as they defeated Paris Saint Germain last night at Emirates Stadium by a 2-0 margin. Arsenal started their Champions League mission with a goalless draw against Atalanta away from home. However, the Gunners made no mistake at their home match last night and gave PSG the first defeat of the season in this competition.
Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka in the first half secured all three points against the French club, while PSG failed to score a single goal despite having more possession in the entire game.
The match started with both sides playing aggressive football. Paris Saint Germain tried to control the midfield, but Arsenal were very compact in defense. Moreover, the Gunners were also very threatening in counterattacks. They always created real chances whenever they got the ball.
Finally, Kai Havertz broke the deadlock when he scored the opening goal in the 20th minute. Leandro Trossard provided a beautiful cross inside the box, and Havertz found himself unmarked. He took no time to think and converted the cross into a goal with a powerful header.
The first goal was a massive boost for the Gunners, and everything became so electric, including the entire Emirates stadium. Arsenal doubled their lead within a few minutes when Bukayo Saka’s free kick defeated Gianluigi Donnarumma to find the net in the 35th minute.
“Especially the way we played the first half and how determined and brave we were, the quality we showed again against this kind of opponent and be so dominant, score the two goals,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta explained the first half’s performance after the match.
However, Paris Saint Germain tried their best to come back in the second half. Unfortunately, they failed to break Arsenal’s defense last night. Once again, PSG’s need for a genuine striker has been evident. They took ten shots in the entire game, but only two of them were on target. In the end, Arsenal were able to keep a clean sheet at Emirates Stadium and secured a 2-0 win over PSG.
PSG boss Luis Enrique said his team failed to handle the pressure in this match. He said, “We knew it was going to be a tough match, with a high pressing game from our opponents from the first minute. We failed to deal with that pressure. We struggled to win our duels; we lost nearly all of them and it’s difficult to be competitive like that. Once they had scored their two goals, the game changed, they gave us a little more space, but it was a very difficult match for us and we were second best tonight.”