South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in watched from the bench as his Paris Saint-Germain stepped closer to the final of the top European club football tournament.
PSG defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League at Emirates Stadium in London on Tuesday.
Ousmane Dembele's fourth-minute goal stood as the winner for PSG, who can book a ticket to the final with just a draw in the return leg at Parc des Princes in Paris next Wednesday.
PSG's only other appearance in the UEFA Champions League final came in 2020, when they lost to Bayern Munich 1-0.
Last year, PSG fell to Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals.
PSG also avenged a 2-0 loss to Arsenal during the league phase in October 2024.
PSG struck early as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia set up Dembele for the left-footed strike into the far corner of the net.
Arsenal custodian David Raya did well to turn aside Desire Doue's shot just past the half-hour mark and keep this a one-goal match. Arsenal nearly drew level with Gabriel Martinelli's right-footed curler in the 45th minute, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was up to the task in PSG's net.
Two minutes after the restart, Arsenal had a goal disallowed following a video review when Mikel Merino was ruled to be in an offside position as he headed home the ball.
Donnarumma made another big save in the 56th minute, tipping a low shot by Leandro Trossard beyond the far post.
PSG made three substitutions in the second half, but Lee remained on the sidelines. They missed a couple of chances to extend their lead, with Goncalo Ramos striking the crossbar from the right side of the penalty area, but still hung on for the narrow victory.
Lee had missed about a month of action after suffering an ankle injury during South Korea's World Cup qualifying match against Oman on March 20. He returned in a Ligue 1 match on April 19 and appeared in another league contest three days later.
However, Lee sat out both legs of the quarterfinals at the Champions League and was benched again to begin the semifinals.
Lee will try to become just the third South Korean player to appear in a Champions League final, joining former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung (2009 and 2011) and current Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min (2019).
Man United won the UEFA title in 2008, but Park did not play in that year's final. (Yonhap)
