Mikel Arteta has called on his Arsenal side to produce a “special” comeback in the Champions League semi-final second leg after a narrow 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Ousmane Dembele’s early fourth-minute goal was enough to give PSG a slender lead heading into the return leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7. Despite the defeat, Arteta remained optimistic, insisting his team can still reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
“We are at half-time,” said Arteta. “We have to go to Paris and win the game, and we are more than capable of doing it.”
The Gunners had chances to equalize, with Gianluigi Donnarumma pulling off key saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. PSG, meanwhile, missed late opportunities to increase their lead through Goncalo Ramos and Bradley Barcola.
Unlike their dominant first-leg performances in the previous rounds against PSV and Real Madrid, Arsenal now face the challenge of an away fightback against a PSG side that has already knocked out Liverpool and Aston Villa, and beat Manchester City in the group stage.
Arteta hinted at a tactical tweak during the match that helped his team settle, stating, “If you want to reach the Champions League final, you have to do something special — and we’ll have to do it in Paris.”
