Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Emirates Stadium on April 29.
PSG opened their scoring with a goal from an assist by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia just four minutes into the clash. Arsenal's effort on the pitch fell short, with Mikel Merino's goal in the 47th minute getting disallowed by VAR as the midfielder was caught offside.
Arsenal's display against PSG has been on the receiving end of criticism as the Gunners head to the second leg of the Champions League semi-final with a goal deficit.
However, following the end of the first leg, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta remains confident about his squad's chances of making it to the Champions League final.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Arsenal's first-leg loss against PSG in Champions League semi-final?
Arsenal were able to maintain a ball possession of 48% against PSG while having five shots on target and creating three big chances. During the post-match conference, Arteta addressed his squad's defeat and mentioned that they had a 'lot of chances' in the clash.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The Spanish manager claimed (comments via The Guardian) that the Gunners are 'more than capable' of bagging the win against PSG in the second leg as the score difference is not much.
"I don't know the percentage, but we have a lot of chances to be in that final. The time to do it is going to be in Paris. We are at half-time. My message is exactly the same as when we beat Real Madrid at home 3-0. We have to go to Paris and win the game and we are more than capable of doing it. You have two teams where the margins are so small," he said.
Arteta also mentioned that his squad needs to step more, and 'do something special' to secure a place in the Champions League final.
"I think we need to be better. We know that there was not that much in it. It could have gone either way and we need to pull things to our side. We needed to be a little bit more accurate, but we have whetted our appetite and we want to go to Paris and do what we need to do. If you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special, and now we have to do something special in Paris," added Arteta.
If Arsenal are able to defeat PSG, it will be the first time since 2005-06 that the Gunners will be playing in a Champions League final. Arteta & Co. will be visiting Parc des Princes to lock horns with the French club in the second leg of the semi-final on May 7.
Arsenal news and related links
- Wayne Rooney left 'disappointed' by home crowd in Arsenal's defeat against PSG
- Martin Keown names worrying issue for Arsenal ahead of PSG showdown
- Arsenal suffer double injury scare ahead of Champions League clash vs. PSG