Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has come under fire for his surprisingly positive post-match interview following Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners were convincingly beaten by the French champions during the first leg of their European semi-final at the Emirates Stadium, with Ousmane Dembele’s fourth-minute strike condemning Mikel Arteta’s side to a disappointing defeat.
Arsenal were dismantled by their mature visitors for the first half-hour and while they gained some control thereafter, they struggled to mount any significant pressure on the PSG goal. When they were able to unlock their visitors, Gianluigi Donnarumma rebuffed their advances.
Overall, it was an underwhelming evening for the north London side, who must now overturn a one-goal deficit in Paris next week. However, Raya didn’t view the encounter in the same way, insisting Arsenal were much the better side during his post-match interview.
Speaking after the whistle, Raya declared: “They started quick with a goal and they dominated the first 15-20 minutes but after that we dominated most of the game, created the chances. Donnarumma made some good saves. It’s only half-time, we take positives. They are a top team but credit to the players for the effort – we could’ve won the game.”
Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard’s comments drew scrutiny and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney was quick to criticise the stopper’s interview.
“I think what’s happened there is Mikel Arteta’s probably gone in and tried to be as positive as he can be and David Raya has given that message back out because certainly that’s not what happened in the game,” Rooney sniffed in his capacity as a pundit for Amazon Prime Video.
Clarence Seedorf, who remains the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs, also disagreed with Raya’s take. “It’s very difficult to do interviews after the match and do a good analysis of the match, because sometimes the feeling doesn’t really match the reality,” the Dutchman noted.
“But I do hope he will have a good look at the match tomorrow, because it’s important to understand what went wrong. Because the second leg, I think Arsenal have so many things to learn from today that can help them.”
Arsenal travel to PSG next Wednesday knowing they must produce a special turnaround to reach their first Champions League final since 2006. Barcelona or Inter lie in wait should they stun their French hosts.
