PARIS :A day after Yann Sommer’s brilliant goalkeeping display helped Inter Milan reach the Champions League final at the expense of Barcelona, it was Gianluigi Donnarumma’s turn to shine as Paris St Germain booked their ticket for the showdown in Munich.
The towering Italy keeper kept Arsenal at bay almost single-handedly in the opening stages as the visitors sought to cancel out the 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
His instinctive save from Gabriel Martinelli’s close-range effort was superb but minutes later he surpassed that as he stretched his arm to somehow get a hand to Martin Odegaard’s fierce low shot that whizzed through a crowd of players.
“It was a beautiful match. My save today on Odegaard? It was very nice, the ball went between the legs of one of my teammates. I work a lot on low balls, but Mother Nature also had her say,” the 6-foot-6-inch Donnarumma said.
Had Arsenal scored then, the tie might have tipped their way, but goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put PSG in command before Bukayo Saka, whom Donnarumma had earlier denied with a fingertip save, finally replied, albeit too late.
“When you look at the two games, who has been their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper. He’s made a difference for them in the tie,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters.
Donnarumma, who will play in his first Champions League final when PSG face Inter on May 31, was also an immovable barrier in the first leg in north London when he made stunning saves to protect PSG’s lead.
“He showed why he’s an elite goalkeeper; he made some incredible saves and kept them in the game,” Arsenal forward Mikel Merino said of the Italian’s heroics.
Arsenal midfielder Decan Rice was equally impressed.
“Over the two legs, we could have scored three or four goals but Donnarumma’s been unbelievable,” he said.
Donnarumma made five saves in total on Wednesday, but it was also his command of his penalty area as Arsenal went back to basics and resorted to long throw-ins or hoofs forward into a crowded area that allowed PSG to stay secure.
Asked afterwards about his performance, a modest Donnarumma preferred to pay respect to another member of the goalkeeper’s union. “Yesterday (Sommer) was very good, he made more saves than me. He played a fantastic match, it was a great game.”
