Arsenal reached the Champions League final after beating Atlético Madrid 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium, with Bukayo Saka scoring the decisive goal at the end of the first half. The result sends Arsenal to Budapest later this month, where they will play either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich on Saturday 30 May.
Who Gets the Glory
The decisive moment came when Jan Oblak parried a Leandro Trossard shot and Saka finished from close range. That goal was enough to settle a tense match in which Arsenal were the better team in the first half and did enough after the interval. Arsenal are now into only their second final and their first since 2006, when they lost to Barcelona. No club has played more European Cup or Champions League games than Arsenal without winning the trophy.
Mikel Arteta led the wild celebrations after the final whistle. In a post-match interview with Amazon Prime, Arteta said: “It’s an amazing night … to live this kind of moment with our people is an incredible feeling … it makes sense of a lot of the things we do … to see so many happy faces … it was unbelievable from the very beginning … the supporters set the standard and we try to catch up with them … the pride in their eyes is beautiful to watch … the togetherness … I apologised [to the players left out of the starting XI] but they said ‘I am here when you need me’ … they gave me a hug … [Viktor Gyökeres] was immense … his work-rate was just incredible … he was the first to set the tone, the rhythm … let’s go for it!”
Declan Rice also spoke to Amazon Prime, saying: “It is chaos in the dressing room … the most prestigious tournament in club football … we are just trying to soak it all in … we knew what was at stake … once we went 1-0 up I knew we was going to win … you felt something special building … our manager this year has been tough on [Myles Lewis-Skelly] behind the scenes … he has kept his head down … now he’s got his chance and has taken it … he’s so good … where this club has come from … what we’ve been building … the narrow losses … the things that hurt you as a player … we kept pushing each other … we’ve gone full throttle and find ourselves in a very good position … it’s all to play for … it’s a funny one because we are in the Champions League final [but] Sunday [against West Ham] is a massive one and we have to focus on that too … I am a strong believer in knowing what this team is capable of.”
Saka said: “You are taking me away from the celebrations, man! … you can see what it means to us … to the fans … this was a high-pressure game … we managed it well and it takes us to the final … the fans pushed us and they’ve got this moment, and we’ll celebrate it together … sometimes it bounces for you … I was there and I got my goal … now we are in the final and we are fighting for the Premier League … another step forward … it’s a beautiful story and I hope it ends well in Budapest!”
What the Match Looked Like
The match was tense throughout. Atlético Madrid had early chances through Giuliano Simeone and Julián Alvarez, while Declan Rice made a block tackle to stop Simeone Jr after Antoine Griezmann pulled back. Arsenal appealed for a penalty after Griezmann’s light touch on Leandro Trossard in the 35th minute, but it was not given. Atlético pushed at the start of the second half, with Diego Simeone prowling the technical area in black and appealing for a penalty when Giuliano Simeone went around David Raya after a poor back header from William Saliba. It was unclear whether Gabriel Magalhães nudged him.
Gyökeres had a shot blocked after a Rice-led break, and Atlético went close when Griezmann worked Raya. Marc Pubill was ruled to have fouled Gabriel as he chased the rebound, and Riccardo Calafiori then caught Griezmann with his studs. Pubill later fouled Gyökeres when he appeared to be the last defender and was booked, with a check for a red card. The report said the decision against Pubill was hard to swallow for Atlético.
Arsenal looked for a second goal as the game opened up. A substitute Piero Hincapié sent in a first-time cross from the left in the 66th minute and Gyökeres met it on the penalty spot but lifted his shot high. Gyökeres had another late chance after being hauled down by Pubill while spinning away from him. The foul brought the first booking of the match, and Martin Ødegaard swung the free kick into a crowded box before William Saliba headed harmlessly over. In the 86th minute, Atlético substitute Alexander Sørloth swung at an inviting low cross and missed. Arsenal then held on to secure the win.
What They’re Calling a Triumph
The live coverage said Arsenal were in the Budapest final thanks to Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal. It also said Arsenal were going to their second Champions League final, that they would play either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich, and that Diego Simeone was left deflated as his team suffered another close miss. The live blog noted that Arsenal were three games away from their first Premier League title in 22 years and one match away from their first European Cup ever. It said the Budapest final would be played on Saturday 30 May.
The live blog also said Arsenal were the only team still undefeated in this year’s tournament, had yet to concede a goal from open play in the knockout phase, and had lost only two of their last 24 Champions League matches, both against Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s semi-finals. It said Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the league phase in November.
The live blog described the celebrations at full time, with Arsenal players and fans celebrating, Mikel Arteta running toward the supporters, Bukayo Saka celebrating with Kai Havertz, and Martin Ødegaard celebrating with players and staff. It also said Mikel Arteta was booked for excessive touchline drama in the 90th minute plus three, while Koke and Riccardo Calafiori were booked in stoppage time after a brief confrontation near the Arsenal bench. David Raya was also booked for time-wasting. The live blog said Arsenal were a minimum of five additional minutes away from the Budapest final before the board went up for stoppage time.