The 'attacker movement' of Achraf Hakimi (27, PSG), who scored the decisive goal, dropped hints before the match.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the 2024-2025 season held on the 8th (Korean time) at Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
Having secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg away with Dembélé's decisive goal, PSG added two more goals that day, securing a total score of 3-1 to secure a ticket to the final. In the final, they will face Inter Milan for the 'big ear.'
Arsenal took the early lead in momentum. Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka led an active attack, and in the 8th minute of the first half, Ødegaard's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, allowing PSG to escape the threat of conceding. Subsequently, PSG responded with a quick counterattack, and in the 27th minute of the first half, Fabian Ruiz scored the opening goal with a powerful long-range shot in a second-ball situation.
Although Arsenal counterattacked in the second half, the momentum did not change. In the 27th minute of the second half, the substituted Dembélé assisted Hakimi's goal, widening the gap to 2-0. Although Arsenal's Leandro Trossard and Saka fought hard, they managed to score a chase goal in the 31st minute of the second half but failed to find another goal and fell apart.
Lee Kang-in remained on the bench that day but did not get a chance to play.
The highlight of the day was Hakimi's scoring scene. In the 27th minute of the second half, Khvicha received the ball and passed it to Dembélé, who then delivered it to Hakimi, who was waiting in the box. Hakimi scored with a right-footed shot at a quick timing, showcasing a shot like that of an attacker.
After the match, UEFA reported the story of Samir Nasri (38), who appeared on the broadcast panel. Nasri said, 'I saw Hakimi moving from the center during warm-ups. It was exactly the same position as his goal. His shot was perfect. It was undoubtedly a pure 100% striker's goal,' noting that Hakimi had already captured a similar scene during the warm-up stage.
In addition to the goal, Hakimi recorded 3 shots, a passing accuracy of 78% (32/41), 3 touches in the opponent's box, 3 successful tackles, 2 clearances, 2 interceptions, and 5 ball recoveries, showing great activity both in attack and defense.
UEFA selected Hakimi as the Player of the Match (POTM) for this game. The UEFA technical observer evaluated, 'He showed really solid performance culminated in a very good goal.'
[OSEN]