The early wave of PSG pressure kept flowing and Arsenal were fortunate to reach half time with only a one-goal deficit after Cavani skipped past the onrushing Ospina, having seen Verratti’s through ball cut out by a sliding Nacho Monreal, only to wastefully fire wide.
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All of Wenger’s plans, and much of his hopes for an easier European season, dissolved after just 43 seconds.
However, while the Frenchman’s arrival initially sparked greater urgency in attack, PSG started to dominate like they did in the first half and the Gunners were indebted to Ospina who made three important interventions in the space of a few minutes.
What Arsenal needed was a good start and what they got was quite the opposite, going down inside 42 seconds. That Alexis Sanchez’s late equaliser at the Parc des Princes delivered precisely that should not mask the errors made by the manager.
“We were in trouble in the first half, they pressed well, were fast on the counterattack, were determined and played aggressively”, Wenger said. “He presses well, the whole team must trust him”. They found themselves trailing just 44 seconds in, and could’ve been down 2-0 if Edinson Cavani didn’t have a miss for the ages. They put together one move that, had it not been for Laurent Koscielny’s tackle on Adrien Rabiot, would surely have been goal of the season, featuring back-heels from Angel di Maria and Rabiot. Ospina is a fantastic shot stopper.
19 mins: Colombian keeper Ospina rushes out of his box to head clear as the ball is played over the top of the Arsenal defence.
Di Maria played in Aurier, but Opsina was quick off his line and smothered the resulting shot.
Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil should reportedly receive a contract extension from the Gunners soon.
“We wanted to start with a high pace but for the first 20 minutes we were outpaced”.
Ospina was then forced to tip over a Di Maria corner as the former Manchester United winger appeared to shoot directly from the set-piece. The initial shot from Iwobi was well saved but the rebound fell for Sanchez who hit it into the ground to bounce into the back of the net.
Ospina did well again late on to dive at Cavani’s feet and push the ball to safety as the hosts looked to regain the lead.
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Giroud will be absent for that match, against Basel at the Emirates Stadium in two weeks’ time, following his dismissal after he squabbled with Marquinhos and Verratti near the touchline in stoppage time. An ugly end to a messy match, but Arsenal will certainly be less upset.
