Luis Enrique has sent a clear message to his PSG players, warning them that Arsenal, trailing by one goal, have "nothing to lose" in the second leg.
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PSG beat Arsenal 1-0 in UCL semi-final first legLuis Enrique wary of wounded Gunners Warned his players they have 'nothing to lose'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique reflected on his side's narrow 1-0 win over Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, claiming that he was happy to come away with a positive result. He did, however, warn that the Gunners have "nothing to lose" in the second leg, expecting Mikel Arteta's men to come out all guns blazing at Parc des Princes next week.
AdvertisementGettyHOW DID THE FIRST LEG UNFOLD?
PSG gained a valuable early lead in the fourth minute through Ousmane Dembele. The visitors dominated the proceedings for the first 25 minutes, before a momentum shift saw Arsenal having more possession of the ball and creating chaos in and around's PSG's box.
In the second half, Mikel Merino found the back of the net but his goal was ruled out for offside. It required a disciplined defensive performance, and some magical saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma, for Les Parisiens to come away unscathed, despite their superiority for large portions of the game. Indeed, they will be annoyed they didn't score twice, with Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos both wasting huge late opportunities.
Given that Arsenal had no problems creating chances, Luis Enrique expects the north Londoners to be a dangerous proposition in the return meeting.
WHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID
Speaking to the press after the game, Luis Enrique said (h/t Get French Football News): "We’ve reached our first objective with tonight’s result, which could have been a draw or a 2-0 win – but nobody can change the result now. The objective now is to win the next match, and we can’t take any chances, because with one goal suddenly the tie could be level again.
"We lost at home and then we went to Anfield and got the win – now we’re ahead, but Arsenal could score themselves in Paris. They have nothing to lose, they’re behind in the tie. It’s going to be a fascinating match for football fans, but a bit tougher on the managers."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSG AND ARSENAL?
Both Arsenal and PSG are yet to lift the Champions League. The Gunners reached the final in 2006, which they lost to Barcelona, while PSG made their only appearance in 2020, losing to Bayern Munich. The winner of this tie will have a realistic chance of winning Europe's premier club competition, with either Inter or Barca their opponents in the final. Before then, though, Mikel Arteta's men face Bournemouth in the Premier League on May 3, while the French side take on Strasbourg, having already wrapped up the league title.