Paris Saint-Germain defeats Arsenal to earn spot in Champions League final

While the game wound up being something of a PSG clinic, it began firmly in Arsenal's control. The Gunners owned the opening 15 minutes and pushed PSG deep into its own half, launching attack after attack at goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He made a series of spectacular saves to keep the game scoreless. As the game clicked closer to halftime, the sense in the stadium was that Arsenal had done everything right except put the ball in the back of the net.

That profligacy came back to bite Arsenal before the halftime whistle blew. A poorly-cleared PSG corner fell to Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz, and he blasted a volley into Arsenal's net to open the scoring. Set-piece defending has dogged Arsenal in all competitions this season: in the Premier League, it's conceded a higher percentage of set-piece goals than any other team. 

Ruiz's goal—his first in European competition—took the wind out of Arsenal's sails. The game shifted in PSG's favor, with full-backs Mendes and Hakimi breaking free and creating more attacks for their teammates. It was Hakimi who wound up sealing the game for PSG; he took advantage of an Arsenal turnover right at the edge of the box and scored a beautiful goal to settle things.

Arsenal did fight back, though. Goalkeeper David Raya saved a Vitinha penalty in the 69th minute to keep the game from spiraling out of control. (It was, admittedly, a terribly taken penalty, but Raya did well to judge it correctly.) Bukayo Saka, Arsenal's wise-beyond-his-years 23-year-old talisman, snatched a goal back for the Gunners a few minutes later. Their efforts helped keep the game competitive, but PSG's dominance was never really threatened. They cruised through to the final whistle without further incident.

PSG's win is massive for its Spanish coach, Luis Enrique. It was Enrique who pushed PSG away from its galactico player model; it was Enrique's job on the line if that push didn't pay off. He was right all along. PSG's young, hungry team has become an unlikely favorite for neutrals around the world. It's exceedingly rare to see a state-owned enterprise like PSG garner support in this manner, but Enrique's pragmatic, development-driven approach made it happen.

PSG will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday, May 31. The two teams have never met in European competition in their 55 years of shared history. On the basis of these semifinals, though, PSG will enter the match as the favorite. Its cool-headed defeat of Arsenal was the work of a champion.