Arsenal’s wait for Champions League glory goes on as they suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals to Paris Saint-Germain.
The defeat also means it’s now five seasons without a major trophy for the Gunners.
PSG once again proved they’re the cream of the crop in Europe this season
It’s a second Champions League final for Paris Saint-Germain, and Ousmane Dembele has taken them there in one of football’s most unexpected redemption stories.
PSG won 2-1 on the night in front of their own fans with Fabian Ruiz’s first half rocket and Achraf Hakimi’s clincher making a Bukayo Saka effort nothing more than a consolation in a 3-1 aggregate defeat for Arsenal.
Paris stunned the Gunners in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium with Dembele’s strike in the fourth minute followed by another comprehensive showing against English opposition.
And with his assist for Hakimi in the return leg, he now has the record for the most goal contributions by a player for a French club in a single Champions League season with 12 (8 goals, 4 assists).
PSG entered the tie full of confidence after a season for the ages, particularly in Europe.
The only doubt pre-match, though, was the absence of Dembele.
The Frenchman’s injury status was followed even more intensely in the French capital than in north London, a remarkable situation given that Luis Enrique’s squad building has characterised his young team’s rise post-Kylian Mbappe.
But if the pre-match tifo and fireworks weren’t enough, it was Dembele’s emergence off the bench to warm up that drew the most applause and anticipation at the Parc des Princes.
He again settled the tie as he has done for all of 2025, feeding Hakimi for his swept in 2-0 goal before Saka’s late tap in gave the feintest of hopes to Arsenal.
Such actions are becoming normal now, but those in Paris with longer memories will remind you that the leading Ballon d’Or contender has had a redemption path this season inside the one that’s encapsulated his whole career.
Coming out of Rennes famed academy before passing through Europe’s ultimate development school in Borussia Dortmund, Dembele had all the hallmarks of one of the very best players to ever do it.
Yet when Barcelona made him the second-most expensive player of all time in 2017 at €145million, the path to greatness stopped, and it’s only just resumed.
PSG may have five wins against Premier League opposition in 2025, the same number as Manchester United and Tottenham, but shortly before that they lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the league phase and Dembele was the story.
Dropped over what L’Equipe called a ‘physical debrief’ with Luis Enrique after a 3-1 win over Rennes, it looked like the man to finally get the best out of the enigmatic attacker had given up.
Yet, after a stunning run of 15 goals in just eight games to start January, Luis Enrique called the London dropping one of his key moments of genius.
“The best thing I did was not play him in London against Arsenal even though I was heavily criticised,” he said. “That’s my best decision of the year.”
Explaining his biggest project in football during an elite career where he’s won it all, the Spanish coach lavished praise on Dembele the likes of which he’s not often fond of.
“I keep insisting on my point: Ousmane Dembele is the most influential football player in the world,” he said.
“No doubts… He doesn’t care about mistakes. He keeps going, he loves to try. He doesn’t listen to criticism… he always generates good things.”
Before this season Dembele’s most productive campaign was all the way back in 2016/17 when he grabbed 29 goal involvements for Dortmund (10 goals, 19 assists).
It looked like he may possibly challenge that this season with 14 by Christmas, but what’s happened ever since has brought him to the level almost everyone, except Luis Enrique, had doubted he could ever reach.
Now with 33 goals and 11 assists for 44 contributions this season, the Ballon d’Or odds are tumbling, and with Mohamed Salah gone, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha appear to have joined him out of the running with their exit to Inter Milan.
And this isn’t just a purple patch either, his whole attitude has changed.
Rejecting his Man of the Match award after dumping Aston Villa out of the semi-finals, Dembele showed the steely mentality that suggests Erling Haaland, Lamine, Kylian Mbappe and the like will have Ballon d’Or competition for years to come.
Speaking after that trophy rejection, he said: “We have to be demanding, especially in these matches.
“We made it difficult for ourselves. In the second round, we relaxed, we thought we were too good.
“We will have to be more demanding for the semi-finals. This match will help us for the future.”
When those comments were put to teammate Vitinha, he made sure to leave no doubts over the order in the dressing room.
“That’s exactly how he is, a leader by example,” the Portuguese said.
“The way he is 100 per cent in matches makes us want to help him and give more on the pitch. It’s an incredible form of leadership.”
All of this too, we must remember, is straight after Mbappe’s summer departure to Real Madrid.
The France captain may well end up being usurped in the national team, particularly if Dembele gets to the Ballon d’Or before him, but even he is delighted.
“Seeing him do this moves me personally because I know how much he’s been criticised and mocked,” Mbappe said in March.
“I’ve been his biggest supporter since we were 14. I’ve always said, even when he wasn’t scoring, that he was one of the best players in the world.
“Some thought I was just saying that because I liked him. But I know the difference between friendship and reality on the pitch.”
He added: “Ousmane reached maturity at 27, which is normal in football.
“There are players who are more precocious, so some might have thought he was arriving late. But no, Ousmane Dembele has never arrived late; it’s the normal evolution of a footballer, who reaches his full potential at 27.
“He still has great years ahead of him. I’m very happy for him and I hope he continues like this.
“He deserves what he’s getting; he’s worked hard for it.”
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