From superstar dependence to Premier League nemesis! Paris Champions League awakening, double-kill Arsenal aims at the first championship in the team history!

Controversy and Toughness: A victory that defines the temperament of Paris

When the final whistle sounded, the cheers at the Prince of Paris almost overturned the roof. The score is frozen at 2-1, with a total score of 3-1 - This team, which was criticized for being a "Champions League Soft Shrimp", declared with two rounds of double kills: they are no longer the "rich" who relies on superstars to fight alone, but a iron-blooded teacher who truly has the foundation of the championship.

Tactical Game: The turning point from passive to control

Away 1-0 victory in the first leg gave Paris a psychological advantage in the second leg, but Arsenal's possession rate (54%) and shots (19 times). However, Paris coach Enrique's strategy is clear: give up ineffective ball control and use counterattack speed and set ball to create murderous intent.

Fabian Ruiz's volley from outside the penalty area in the 27th minute was a perfect reflection of this tactic - after Arsenal's clearance mistake, Paris quickly formed a second attack, and Fabian pierced through the defense with a volleyball shot that shocked everyone. Behind this goal is Enrique's precise blow to Arsenal's weak midfielder. However, the lack of coverage of the midfielder Thomas has led to Paris finding gaps repeatedly during the midfield conversion. Fabian's goal is not accidental: this season, he has scored three times outside the penalty area, becoming the "king of long-range shooting" among the five major league midfielders. Arsenal's defensive arrangement obviously underestimates the firepower of the Paris midfielder, and this tactic underestimation of the enemy would eventually lead to a disaster.

Controversial penalty: Psychological battle under VAR's intervention

In the 66th minute of the second half, Ashraf's shot hit Skelly's arm, and the referee confirmed the penalty kick. Although Vitinia's shot was saved by Raya, the penalty completely disrupted Arsenal's rhythm.

6 minutes later, Dembele, who came on as a substitute, completed a fatal connection with Ashraf. The latter's calm shot in the penalty area expanded the total score to 3-0, almost securing the victory. The

controversial penalty kick became a watershed in the game. Arsenal coach Arteta said angrily after the game: "VAR destroyed the smoothness of the game. Skelly's arms were tightly attached to his body, and the penalty was too strict." But it is undeniable that Paris seized the deadly window of the opponent's mentality fluctuations - when Arsenal players were still arguing with the referee, Enrique had quickly replaced Dembele to strengthen the impact on the wing. This gap in on-the-spot decisions reveals the Gunners' lack of experience in Champions League knockouts.

Heroes and Regrets: Donaruma was awarded the gods, and Saka couldn't save the master

Goal Gods Battle: Donaruma vs. Raya

Paris goalkeeper Donaruma contributed 8 saves in the whole game, including blocking Martinelli's close shot in the 4th minute, saving Saka's arc ball in the 64th minute, and resolving the threat of corner kicks several times. His performance was called "one man as a guard" by the British media, and although Arsenal goalkeeper Raya saved the penalty, he failed to stop the Paris attack. Behind the save data of

Donnarumma is a comprehensive upgrade of Paris' defensive system. This season, his expected goal conced (xG) against his opponent in the penalty area was 5.8, but he actually conceded only 4 goals, with a save success rate of 82.1%, ranking first among all goalkeepers.

In contrast, Arsenal only hit the goal frame range in 19 shots, revealing the roughness of the Gunners' shooting in a high-pressure situation. Although Saka's 76th minute goal was wonderful, he only exchanged 1 goal for four shots in the game, reflecting the Gunners' immature grasp of key opportunities. Arteta admitted after the game: "We could have made history, but details determine success or failure." The genius' flash and loneliness

Ashraf is undoubtedly Paris's winner-he not only scored key goals, but also became the pillar of the defense with 5 steals and 3 interceptions.

Moroccan Wings ran a distance of 11.3 kilometers in this game, and 7 high-speed sprints directly tore through Arsenal's left defense line. His performance perfectly interprets the offensive and defensive integration of modern full-backs: he can not only chase and block Martinelli's breakthrough, but also forward and form a "double explosive point" tactic with Dembele.

In contrast, Arsenal's Mr. Rice, despite completing 4 key interceptions, failed to send a threatening pass on the offensive end, exposing the limitations of his technical shortcomings.

From questioning to proof: Paris's team awakened

From "MNM dependence"

After Mbappe left the team, Paris was once questioned for "losing soul". But in this game, the team showed unprecedented teamwork: Fabian's midfield scheduling, Vitinia's breakthrough, Balcola's impact, and the assists of the substitute surprise Dembele, jointly constructing the victory puzzle. Enrique emphasized after the game: "This is not a person's victory, but a condensation of the beliefs of the whole team."

This transformation is fully reflected in the data: this season's Champions League, 9 different players in Paris have scored goals, and the number of assists has been distributed to 7, completely getting rid of the past three-man mode of "Messi-Nemar Mbappe".

The transformation of the defensive system

The central defender combination of Marginhos and Pacho completed 12 clearances in the whole game, and the wing defense of Nuno Mendes and Ashraf even strangled the assault routes of Saka and Martinelli. Paris conceded only 1 goal in two rounds, which is in sharp contrast to the previous image of "strong offense and weak defense".

This improvement in defensive resilience comes from Enrique's transformation of set piece defense. Paris conceded as many as 15 points last season due to set pieces, but this season only conceded 2 goals. In the second leg of the match against Arsenal, the team successfully resolved the opponent's seven corner kick offensives, and Marginhos' command and assisted defense made an indelible contribution. Brazil veteran revealed after the game: "We practice set pieces offense and defense in the last 20 minutes of training every day, and the details are prepared to determine the outcome.. ”

Final Outlook: Paris vs Inter Milan, the new king ascended the throne or the old god returned?

Paris has reached the Champions League final once in history (lost to Bayern in 2020), while Inter Milan is the afterglow of the trio championship era. The first official confrontation between the two teams will be a "contradictory battle" - Paris's rapid counterattack against Inter Milan's chain defense.

Inter Milan averages only 48% of the Champions League game this season, but the counterattack efficiency is amazing: Lautaro and Toulam have joined forces to contribute 9 goals and 4 Assistance. How to limit this pair of combinations will become the biggest test of Paris's defense. In Paris, Dembele's breakthrough ability with Barcola on the wing may target the physical weaknesses of Inter Milan veteran Dumfries and Dimarco.

Arteta's reflection and future

For Arsenal, this is the closest time to the Champions League championship since the 2019-20 season. Despite being eliminated, the growth of the young lineup (average age of 24. 3 years old) Let the Gunners have a promising future. How to improve the psychological quality and efficiency of key battles will be the key topic of Arteta's summer window.

The Gunners' defeat in this game exposed two fatal injuries: one is the lack of top center, Merino only shot twice; the other is the lack of creativity in the midfield, and Odegao was completely locked by the three Parisians. If you want to truly be among the top Europeans, Arsenal may need to introduce a superstar who can break the deadlock - just like in 2004 Henry like that.

Conclusion

This game condenses the charm of football: there is the passion of the world wave, the courage of the goalkeeper, the tactical game, and the teasing of fate.

Paris proved its transformation with double kills, and Arsenal's regret may be the foreshadowing of the next rise. The final stage is about to kick off. No matter what the outcome is, it is destined to be a season that will be recorded in the history of the Champions League.