France forward of Malian descent, Ousmane Dembele made the difference for PSG on Tuesday night when the team faced off with Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.
The winger who has ties to Mauritania and Senegal on his mother’s side started the game at Emirates Stadium and put up another outstanding performance.
On the matchday, Ousmane Dembele needed just four minutes to make his mark. He latched onto a perfectly timed pass on the edge of the box before unleashing a low drive that clipped the post before nestling into the bottom right corner.
The goal handed PSG the lead at halftime, but there was work to be done in the second half.
Arsenal responded after the break, and in the 47th minute, they thought they had drawn level. Declan Rice swung in a pinpoint free-kick which found Mikel Merino, whose powerful header beat Gianluigi Donnarumma and flew into the net to make it 1-1.
However, the joy was short-lived following a review by VAR officials as the goal was ruled out for offside.
PSG managed to hold onto the lead from the first half to secure a narrow victory at the end of the first half. Dembele and his teammates will head into the second leg next week feeling confident of making the final.
