Luis Enrique's PSG swap glamour for graft as final beckons

LONDON :Paris St Germain produced a performance with coach Luis Enrique's stamp all over it on Tuesday as they eked out a slender 1-0 advantage over Arsenal to take back home for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The Qatari-owned French club have never won the Champions League despite massive spending down the years on the likes of Kylian Mbappe and South American duo Lionel Messi and Neymar.

With those having all moved on, the current PSG team, while still possessing many outstanding individuals such as Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, can roll its sleeves up and graft.

Dembele scored a superb team goal in the fourth minute but after that it was PSG's resilience and calmness under Arsenal pressure that stood out, with Portuguese midfielder Vitinha leading by example with an outstanding display.

Even when Arsenal did penetrate PSG's rock-solid defence, their keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma stood tall to protect his side's lead.

"I want to underline the work of 14 or 15 players tonight," Spaniard Luis Enrique, who took charge in 2023, told reporters. "Some shone more than others and we needed a titan in goal, but they all showed they had the mindset that was required.

"We saw wonderful work, both individually and as a team. Defensively, we had the attackers working hard, midfielders getting forward and everyone getting back to defend when needed. You can't play a team like Arsenal without that."

The omens are now looking favourable for PSG who have grown into a formidable force since losing to Arsenal 2-0 in the league stage in October and needing a playoff to reach the last-16.

They had lost all six legs of their previous three two-legged Champions League semi-finals and had never beaten Arsenal before in five