Despite a narrow 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya remains optimistic about his team’s chances of staging a comeback in Paris.
Ousmane Dembélé’s first-half strike separated the two sides at the Emirates, with PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma making several key saves to deny the Gunners. Raya, meanwhile, stood firm against efforts from Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Marquinhos to keep the deficit at just one goal.
Though the result leaves Arsenal with a tough challenge in the second leg, Raya praised his teammates’ resilience and insisted they can still progress.
“They started fast with the early goal and controlled the first 15-20 minutes, but after that, I felt we dominated most of the game,” Raya told Amazon Prime Video. “We created big chances—Donnarumma made some incredible saves—but it’s only halftime. There are plenty of positives to take. We know they’re a top side, but credit to our players for the effort we showed. We could’ve won this game.”
The Spanish shot-stopper acknowledged PSG’s possession-based style but remained defiant. “They’re excellent at keeping the ball, and they took their chance when it came. That’s football. We had opportunities too but couldn’t convert. I haven’t seen the disallowed goal back, but from the 20th minute onward, we proved we can beat them. We’ve won away in Europe this season, and we’ll go to Paris next week to do it again.”
When asked about the absence of suspended midfielder Thomas Partey, Raya dismissed concerns over squad depth. “Thomas is a massive player for us, but we have strong options in midfield. Declan Rice played as the six and was brilliant on the ball. Everyone stepped up today.”
Before kickoff, Arsenal fans unveiled a banner reading “Make it happen,” a message Raya has taken to heart. “We’ll approach the second leg the same way—we played well, created chances, and defended strongly. I know we can beat any team. Next week in Paris, we’ll go out there to win.”
With belief still high in the Arsenal camp, the Gunners will look to turn the tie around and secure a place in the Champions League final.
