Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his side struggled in the opening 15 minutes of their 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.
Ousmane Dembélé scored the only goal of the match, giving PSG a slight edge ahead of the return leg next Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in France.
Speaking to the press after the game, Arteta said his team should have at least come away with a draw. “We put a lot of energy into the game. We struggled to gain momentum and take control in the first 10 to 15 minutes. I’m disappointed not to have at least earned a draw,” he told Amazon Prime.
Regarding Dembélé’s goal, Arteta added: “That’s always the danger—credit to them. They broke out of a tight situation. We had seven players behind the ball, and they executed with precision. Sometimes, you just have to acknowledge individual brilliance.”