Key Points
- Arsenal beat Atlético Madrid 1-0 in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on 5 May, winning 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Champions League final.
- Bukayo Saka scored the only goal just before half-time, poking home a rebound after Jan Oblak failed to hold Viktor Gyökeres’ effort.
- Arsenal will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final in Budapest on 31 May.
- This is Arsenal’s first Champions League final since 2006, when they lost 2-1 to FC Barcelona in Paris.
- Arsenal have never won the Champions League trophy in their 139-year history.
- Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhães both made important last-ditch tackles to protect Arsenal’s lead in the second half as Atlético pressed.
- Viktor Gyökeres volleyed over from close range with the goal at his mercy.
- Arsenal’s next Premier League fixture is at home to West Ham this Sunday, with the title race still alive.
The boy from Ealing, the homegrown hero who once told Arsenal fans they deserved more, scored the only goal of the night just before half-time to send Arsenal into the Champions League final for the first time since 2006. The Emirates erupted. Twenty years of hurt, hope, and heartbreak condensed into one poked finish from North London’s favourite son.
The atmosphere before kick-off was unlike anything the Emirates had seen in years. Fans lined the streets as Arsenal’s team coach arrived, and Arteta later admitted he had never seen anything like it in his time at the club. The stadium was rocking from the first whistle, and it took the players time to find their rhythm against a disciplined Atlético side that sat deep and looked to frustrate.
The breakthrough came just before the interval. Gyökeres drove at the Atlético defence and forced Oblak into a save. However, the goalkeeper could not hold it, and Saka was first to the rebound, poking home from close range. It was not a goal of beauty, but it needed no beauty. The Emirates went berserk.
The second half was tense, nervy, and at times frightening. Atlético, with Diego Simeone throwing on Alex Baena and Thiago Almada for Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann, grew into the game and created genuine chances. Giuliano Simeone made a brilliant run in behind, only for Gabriel to make a crucial intervention. Declan Rice threw himself into another tackle to snuff out a dangerous counter. David Raya was tested. Arsenal held on.
Arteta was overcome with emotion at the final whistle.
“It is a beautiful story, and I hope it ends well in Budapest,”
he said. On Saka’s decisive contribution, the Arsenal manager’s voice softened.
“It had to be someone very special, and certainly he is very special with me and the boys and everyone attached to this club. If it had to be someone scoring that goal, it probably had to be him.”
In 2020, after a difficult night, Saka posted to social media that Arsenal fans deserved more. On Tuesday night at the Emirates, he delivered on that promise.
