Champions League: Solid, ambitious and united, this PSG lives up to its ambitions for the final

Initially ambitious and efficient, then capable of taking it without giving in, Paris Saint-Germain pulled off a major upset at the Emirates Stadium (1-0) on Tuesday.

"It's a good message to send to the competition. It's very difficult to win here. We played a great game, even if we didn't have the possession we usually do. That's what also shows the great teams." Having just been named man of the match, Vitinha confirmed the visual impression on Canal+ on Tuesday, April 29, after PSG's victory on Arsenal's pitch in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals (1-0) : this Paris Saint-Germain is living up to its ambitions, 90 minutes away from a potential final, the second in the club's history after that of 2020.

"We suffered a lot and ran after the ball during the first 20 minutes," admitted Arsenal defender William Saliba, "not surprised by the level" of the capital club. Meanwhile, coach Mikel Arteta noted that it is "impossible to dominate PSG for 95 minutes."

There were, however, some doubts at the start of the season about the ability of this young team - the youngest in the knockout phase (24 years and three months on average) - to withstand the pressure of this extremely demanding competition. These doubts were even rekindled on the evening of the defeat on the pitch at Aston Villa (2-3), when PSG faltered and almost reawakened the demons it thought it had finally exorcised. "We know we are a very good team. We can defend, attack with all the players we have. Sometimes you also have to know how to suffer," Joao Neves (20 years old) stressed to Canal+.

While Luis Enrique described his team's first twenty minutes as "wonderful," he was even more appreciative of the rest of the match. "We showed an even better version without the ball. We were united. You can't defend against players like [Bukayo] Saka, [Martin] Odegaard, and [Gabriel] Martinelli without help from your teammates," the Spanish coach said in his post-match press conference, satisfied but not euphoric, as usual.

On Tuesday, the hostility of the Emirates Stadium and its 60,000 fans didn't tip the scales in the wrong direction. The Parisian defense was only caught out twice, when Gabriel Martinelli (45th minute) and Leandro Trossard (56th minute) missed their one-on-ones after being found deep. In both cases, Gianluigi Donnarumma was on the ball.

The Italian shone in his signature style: stretching out to protect his goal line. Since the round of 16 second leg against Liverpool, he has become a master in the Champions League, a competition in which he had largely disappointed. "The real MVP (man of the match) is him," Vitinha admitted on social media, pointing with his thumb at his Italian teammate in a photo.