Bukayo Saka would have been gutted that his efforts were ultimately rendered futile by Paris Saint-Germain as Arsenal lost 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
The Arsenal winger set the world alight against Real Madrid in the previous round and he would have been hoping to do the same against Luis Enrique’s side.
However, PSG managed to tame Bukayo Saka aside from a few moments where the Englishman sparked into life for Arsenal.
Saka is a world-class player but he certainly had a tough task ahead of him with arguably the most in-form left-back in Europe in Nuno Mendes handed the responsibility of keeping him quiet.
Saka has looked sharp since returning from injury but he was far from his vintage best at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
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French media give Bukayo Saka mixed verdict after Arsenal vs PSG
The French media had their say on Bukayo Saka’s display for Arsenal against PSG.
Considering Saka was causing the PSG defence a headache at times but did not manage to put them to the world, he was given a mixed verdict after his latest outing in an Arsenal shirt.
Maxi Foot gave the 23-year-old a mere 4/10 match rating for his showing against the Parisans as they felt he was lively but also “wasteful” on the night: “In a team that had been dormant for a long time, the Arsenal winger had the merit of sounding the revolt in the first half. With his runs and his percussion, the England international brought life.”
“Unsurprisingly, the Gunners’ best moves often came from him and he was able to put pressure on Mendes. However, he still made some wasteful plays and was especially discreet after half-time.”
However, Foot Mercato were far kinder to how Saka after his performance against PSG and felt he was one of Arsenal’s standout performers — giving him a 6/10 rating: “Once again, the English winger was the most dangerous attacker of the match for the London side. During the Gunners’ weak period, he tried to get the ball out to break up his block, and sent a shot into Gianluigi Donnarumma’s gloves, the first for the home side.”
“He then did a great job to serve [Gabriel] Martinelli, who was a little short. At the end of the first half, he was booked for a gesture of frustration after a generous foul awarded to Nuno Mendes.”
Bukayo Saka stats for Arsenal vs PSG in Champions League semi-final
Ousmane Dembele has picked a hamstring injury and while only time will tell whether he will miss the second leg, that certainly boosts the Gunners’ chances of coming out on top in the French capital.
But staying on the first leg for the time being, the Emirates faithful would have been hoping for more from their star man on a special European night for them.
Even the stats demonstrated that Saka had an up-and down game for Arsenal against PSG.
| BUKAYO SAKA STATS VS PSG | |
| CHANCES CREATED | 1 |
| SUCCESSFUL DRIBBLES | 4/7 |
| SHOTS | 1 |
| TOUCHES IN OPPOSITION BOX | 0 |
The positives to take for Mikel Arteta should be that Saka completed four of his seven attempted dribbles and created a big chance for Gabriel Martinelli.
The negatives, however are that the two-time European Championship finalist had no touches in the opposition box and took just one shot in the entirety of the 95 minutes.
Saka is a special player and when Arteta goes back to the drawing board, one of his man focuses should be to try and make sure that he is much more of a threat in the second leg.
If Arsenal intend to stage a comeback against PSG at the Parc des Princes, they would have little to no chance of doing so if their standout forward is nullified once again.
