Dembele sinks Arsenal as PSG snatch 1-0 edge in UEFA Champions League semifinal showdown

Paris Saint-Germain seized the advantage in their UEFA Champions League semifinal showdown against Arsenal, as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg on Tuesday.

Dembele struck in the opening minutes at the Emirates Stadium, and the Parisians held on to the lead with a composed display that kept the Gunners at bay.

PSG will head into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7 as favorites to reach the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan, as they look to win the tournament for the first time.

But the French Ligue 1 champions should take nothing for granted, given their history of epic European collapses.

"We showed the kind of team we are. We tried to play our way and scored the goal early playing that way," PSG coach Luis Enrique said. "We suffered sometimes, but could have scored the second goal. The second match is going to be very tough. The result means a little advantage for us. We can go to the final, but there is still one match."

Mikel Arteta had labeled Arsenal's run to the semifinals a "beautiful story," but the last chapter might make for frustrating reading, even as the Premier League club's coach insists his side isn't dead and buried just yet.

"We put so much into the game. It's halftime and we have a big chance to be in the final," the Gunners boss said. "We struggled in the first 15 minutes to get momentum and dominance, but in the end, I was disappointed not to get a draw at least. That's the margins. That's the level."

Arsenal had beaten titleholders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to seal their first Champions League semifinal appearance since 2009. But they could not replicate the swaggering display that blew away the Spanish giants 3-0 in the first leg of that last-eight meeting, despite a frenzied atmosphere as kickoff approached at the Emirates Stadium.

When the Gunners gathered for a pre-match huddle in the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his teammates to give everything as he roared: "If we don't have the ball, we die."

But PSG had already eliminated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16, and Aston Villa in the quarterfinals, after coming back from two goals down to beat Manchester City in the league phase. Arsenal were the one English side the Parisians had failed to conquer this season, falling 2-0 in London in October.