Psg Pass Masters Make Rice And Arsenal's Fears Come True

Declan Rice captured nan temper and flagged up nan threat signals successful his last connection arsenic Arsenal gathered successful a huddle earlier they faced nan formidable situation of Paris St-Germain.

"If we don't person nan ball, we die," Rice told his Arsenal team-mates arsenic they vanished their warm-up earlier nan Champions League semi-final first limb astatine Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal are not rather dormant successful nan tie, but they are decidedly struggling to enactment live arsenic they way 1-0 going into nan return successful Paris - chiefly because they were incapable to transportation retired Rice's instructions successful nan important opening phases that shaped nan game.

The shape was group for Arsenal's first Champions League semi-final successful 16 years by an royal show of fireworks and pyrotechnics, each against nan backdrop of a immense banner covering nan elephantine stands emblazoned pinch nan words 'make it happen'.

It was PSG who made it hap - and made it hap precisely successful nan mode Rice truthful intelligibly feared.

Ousmane Dembele's fourth-minute decorativeness crossed Arsenal keeper David Raya from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's transportation was nan culmination of a 26-pass move. It was PSG successful a microcosm, Rice's informing delivered successful nan astir achy manner.

To emphasise PSG's domination successful nan first exchanges, they had a full of 71.6% possession successful nan first 26 minutes, nan play of nan crippled successful which they threw a bucket of crystal acold h2o complete what had been a white-hot environment, laying nan level for nan advantage they will return backmost to Paris for adjacent Wednesday's 2nd leg.

In that aforesaid period, PSG had a singular passing accuracy of 86.5% successful Arsenal's half, and nan full ratio was 165 passes to 60.

In effect, erstwhile Arsenal yet publication Rice's memo, nan astir important harm had been inflicted.

Arsenal pulled it around, having 55.4% possession for nan remainder of nan game, but Rice knew what was coming and PSG were simply excessively bully to extremity early on.

Arsenal head Mikel Arteta said: "We are disappointed pinch nan result. We put truthful overmuch into nan game. We struggled for nan first 10 aliases 15 minutes to get momentum and power but we are disappointed not to get a tie astatine least."

He praised nan value that to Dembele's goal, saying: "That is ever nan danger. Credit to them. They get retired of a business that is close. We had 7 players down nan shot and they were clinical, sometimes you conscionable person to recognise nan talent of nan individual."

This was a different PSG to nan 1 that lost 2-0 successful tame manner present successful October arsenic nan Champions League started its caller convention array format, and really it showed.

In nan intervening months, coach Luis Enrique has fashioned a PSG broadside changeable done pinch value from backmost to front, while his individual attraction has brought nan champion from superb teen Desire Doue, while coaxing nan champion retired of nan enigmatic Dembele, who flattered to deceive astatine Barcelona.

And, successful what mightiness beryllium nan last flourish of nan existent move distant from nan alleged 'Bling Bling' era of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, they added nan young Georgia brilliant Kvaratskhelia to a thrilling attack.

The villain of PSG's portion astatine Emirates Stadium backmost successful October was elephantine Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who received peculiarly dense disapproval for allowing Bukayo Saka's free-kick to drift successful past him.

But since past PSG person trim a swathe done nan Premier League elite, arsenic Manchester City were beaten successful nan array format, Liverpool went retired connected penalties successful nan past 16 and Aston Villa followed successful nan quarter-finals.

And Donnarumma has been a cardinal figure.

He made amends for his erstwhile Emirates nightmare present pinch important saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard either broadside of half-time.

Arsenal will consciousness those opportunities will connection dream successful Paris, but they now person to return nan crippled to PSG pinch measurement arsenic they effort to claw backmost this slim deficit. In those circumstances, however, nan French champions whitethorn conscionable find that attack to their liking.

There was vexation for Arsenal erstwhile Mikel Merino's smart header was ruled retired aft a Video Assistant Referee cheque early successful nan 2nd half.

As PSG exerted specified power successful nan opening half-hour, winning nan shot backmost pinch easiness arsenic Arsenal reeled, it was easy to spot why Rice erstwhile again called it correct erstwhile he expressed specified vexation towards his midfield partner and disruptor Thomas Partey for picking up a yellowish paper successful nan comfortable second-leg triumph against Real Madrid astatine nan Bernabeu, ruling him retired of this meeting.

Rice's aforesaid words will nary uncertainty echo successful Arsenal's ears astatine nan Parc des Princes - but immoderate things are easier said than done and it whitethorn already beryllium excessively precocious to prevention their ambitions of reaching their first Champions League last since they mislaid to Barcelona successful Paris successful 2006.

Hope will unrecorded on, but PSG person shown what a formidable proposition they person become. They will beryllium patient favourites to look either Barcelona aliases Inter Milan successful Munich.

Watch highlights of each Champions League crippled from 22:00 connected Wednesday connected BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and app.

There will besides beryllium a Champions League Match of nan Day connected BBC One connected Wednesday, from 22:40.