da prosport bet： With Group A on the line, Paris Saint Germain arrived at the Emirates Stadium knowing they had to produce a performance. Arsenal, on the other hand, were under pressure to avoid finishing second in the group yet again. Finishing second has so often cost the Gunners, as Arsene Wenger knows all too well. Saying that, the change in structure of the competition and the way that the clubs are looking set to qualify may mean that finishing top isn’t so desirable.
da bet esporte： Serge Aurier was a notable absentee for this game, having been banned from entering the country as a result of a court case. That, perhaps, was not the best start to PSG’s trip over the English Channel. Unai Emery’s side had safely qualified for the knockout stages themselves before this game, but that hardly blunted the competitive edge in the fixture.
The Emirates Stadium is quite a spectacle on a chilly Wednesday evening and it was home to quite a game.
Old Rivals
Over 2000 PSG fans travelled to London for Wednesday night’s game and they were not planning on hiding away in the corner.
The Eurostar will have been seriously busy earlier in the day, that’s for sure.
Guess Who?
The bane of English clubs in the Champions League for years, Edinson Cavani, scored the opener as he tapped in a lovely passing move.
Martin Keown bemoaned the French club’s slow possession and, as he finished his sentence, they stepped up the tempo to take the lead.
Vocal Frustrations
Shkodran Mustafi seems to be vocalising how most Arsenal fans have felt watching them in November.
A frustrating first half for the Gunners was in part down to the smart defensive organisation of PSG and in part down to Arsenal’s ineptitude.
A lack of intensity allowed the Ligue 1 side to control the tempo of the game and Unai Emery’s side looked under little threat.
Calm Down, Lads
As Arsenal scored an equaliser from the penalty spot before half-time, there was a bit of a chest-puffing scuffle.
With the goal being against the run of play, PSG were obviously a little frustrated, but Edinson Cavani’s refusal to hand the ball over did little to distract Olivier Giroud from the goal.
Bouncing Around
Arsenal’s comeback was complete (momentarily at least) thanks to an improvement in their performance at the start of the second half.
They were rewarded, in near comical fashion, when the ball ricocheted off Marco Verratti into the back of the net.
Goal line shambles
PSG nicked an equaliser and, most hauntingly of all, it was from the head of Lucas Moura at a corner.
Alex Iwobi should have done better to clear the ball on the line and he could yet be ‘credited’ with it as an own goal.