Champions League semifinals: Inter and Barcelona evenly poised, PSG holds a narrow lead over Arsenal

PARIS (AP) — Scoring three away goals should make Inter Milan feel confident heading into the return leg of its Champions League semifinal against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Inter might not think so, considering Barcelona’s ability to conjure goals out of nowhere with the world’s best young player in the side.

Inter was 2-0 up after 21 minutes in the first leg, before 17-year-old Spain star Lamine Yamal scored a stunning goal and Barcelona fought back to draw 3-3 at home in a pulsating contest packed with spectacular goals.

Stopping Yamal is hard enough, but then there's Raphinha — who is merely Barcelona's other Ballon d'Or contender.

With his long-range shooting and speedy attacks through the middle or down the flanks, he is a permanent threat. The Brazilian has 12 goals in the competition, one more than strike partner Robert Lewandowski.

But for all of Barcelona's firepower, the defense remains vulnerable and coach Hansi Flick is under pressure to make the right calls.

He kept Wojciech Szczęsny in goal, even though No. 1 Marc-André ter Stegen has recovered from a long-term knee injury and played in Saturday's 2-1 win at Valladolid.

Barcelona is looking to win the competition for the sixth time, while Inter seeks a fourth title. Inter won in 2010, beating Barca in a tense semifinal.

Players and coaches have been warning about the damaging effects of a congested calendar.

Look no further than Barcelona and Inter for examples.

Barcelona defender Jules Koundé sustained a left hamstring injury in the first leg and the prolific Lewandowski has been nursing a minor left leg injury for two weeks.

Lewandowksi has netted 40 goals this season and needs one more goal to hit 100 for Barcelona.

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martínez also went off injured in the first leg.

Strike partner Marcus Thuram, who scored a superb back-heel flick in the first leg, only returned from a thigh injury last week.

Paris Saint-Germain is hopeful 33-goal top scorer Ousmane Dembélé will be fit to start on Wednesday.

The star forward limped off with a minor hamstring pull against Arsenal in the semifinal first leg in London, which PSG won 1-0.

Neither side has won the competition, both have lost a final.

PSG reached the semis last season but Arsenal reached this stage for the first time since 2009.

Coach Luis Enrique has transformed PSG into a slick and cohesive unit since Kylian Mbappé's offseason departure to Real Madrid.

After falling short with world famous stars, there is genuine belief among PSG fans that this young and vibrant team can finally win the Champions League having cut ties with the over-hyped Galacticos era.

Much of that is down to Luis Enrique's hard-nosed ability to generate competition for places, with no favorable treatment like in previous years.

However, he rested his main players on Saturday and shrugged off PSG's 2-1 loss at Strasbourg, the club's second straight defeat in Ligue 1 albeit with the league title already won.

He has his eyes on a much bigger prize, but PSG does not carry the same threat without Dembélé.

Arsenal also lost on Saturday, 2-1 at home to Bournemouth.

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta pledged to use “the frustration, rage and anger” from the Premier League defeat to fire up his players against PSG.

He needs more than that.

Arsenal was found wanting tactically in the first leg, where PSG dominated the first half and scored when a 26-pass move led to Dembélé's goal.

Star player Bukayo Saka was shut down by PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has a remarkable ability to attack and defend equally well on the left flank.

Saka's duel with Kvaratskhelia could be crucial, while Arteta needs a vastly improved performance in midfield from captain Martin Ødegaard.

Arteta deployed him too far forward in the first leg, and by the time he dropped back PSG was in control.

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PSG's Ousmane Dembele, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)

Barcelona's Raphinha reacts after a missed scoring opportunity during the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, center top, watches from the tribune during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, left, fights for the ball with PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka controls the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates stadium in London, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

PSG players celebrate after their teammate Ousmane Dembele scored his side's opening goal during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram, left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Inter Milan at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring during the Champions League semifinal first leg soccer match between Barcelona and Inter Milan in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)