"How is he a pro footballer", "Dislike him so much" - Fans call out Arsenal star after their 1-0 loss to PSG in UCL S/F
Gabriel Martinelli drew the ire of fans on social media for his performance during Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Brazilian forward missed a few scoring opportunities as the Gunners fell to a 1-0 loss at the Emirates on Tuesday, April 29.
While Arsenal had the home advantage, Luis Enrique’s men were the better side from the off and took the lead in the fourth minute.
An in-form Ousmane Dembele drove forward and found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left wing. The Georgian winger evaded Jurrien Timber and released a cutback pass for Dembele, whose left-footed shot struck the woodwork and nestled into the net.
Despite taking the lead, PSG maintained control of the match, dominating proceedings until around the half-hour mark, when Désiré Doué forced David Raya into a superb save.
Arsenal rallied towards the end of the first half, and they had their first clear chance of the day when Gabriel Martinelli found himself in a 1v1 situation with Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian shot-stopper made a brilliant save to keep the Ligue 1 giants ahead at the break.
Arsenal started dictating proceedings in the second half. Mikel Merino found the back of the net with a header two minutes after the restart, but his goal was chalked off for offside.
The Gunners kept cranking up the pressure, and they came close to equalizing before the hour mark, only for Donnarumma to keep out Leandro Trossard’s effort with his fingertips.
The Parisians could have put more daylight between themselves and Mikel Arteta’s side in the final 10 minutes as Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos failed to convert their chances.
Martinelli missed two big chances on Tuesday night, lost possession eight times, had a passing accuracy of 60%, and completed zero dribbles.
After the match, fans took to social media to slam him for his performance, with one writing:
''I dislike Martinelli so much. I feel like throwing up whenever he’s on the ball.''
Another tweeted:
''Martinelli leave my club right now!!!''
''How is martinelli a pro footballer,'' @M1L4GRO asked.
''istg Martinelli is just the brazilian version of Garnacho,'' @stfutriad added.
''nahhhh martinelli is garnacho’s brazilian twin bro wtf,'' @UTDCJ_ chimed in.
Mikel Arteta says he is disappointed with Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to PSG
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was unhappy with his side’s 1-0 defeat to PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday. He acknowledged that his side struggled in the opening exchanges, but believed they should have secured a draw.
Arteta said after the match (via NBC Sports):
“Disappointed with the result. We put so much into the game. We struggled first 10-15 minutes to get momentum and dominance. Disappointed not to get a draw at least.”
The second leg will be played at PSG’s home ground, Parc des Princes, on Wednesday, May 7.
