Saka sends Arsenal to Budapest

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Twenty years after Arsène Wenger’s side lost to Barcelona in Paris, Arsenal are going back to the biggest stage in club football.

Mikel Arteta’s team beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Champions League final in Budapest. It was not spectacular. It did not need to be.

Over 180 minutes against one of Europe’s most defensively disciplined sides, Arsenal never looked like a team that might not get through.

There were nervy moments, missed chances, and passages where Atletico had the ball for long stretches. But those stretches felt permitted rather than earned.

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Atletico were rarely allowed to threaten on their own terms, and when they did, the numbers tell the story. The visitors finished the second leg with just one shot on target across 90 minutes.

Diego Simeone set his side up to frustrate and live on moments. They did not find enough of them. Alvarez flashed wide early, Griezmann tested Raya from close range in the second half, and Sorloth blundered a late chance that summed up Atletico’s evening. Arsenal’s defensive structure gave them nothing to work with.

The goal was typical of how this Arsenal team wins. Trossard forced Oblak into a save, and Bukayo Saka, the Gunners’ starboy, was on the rebound just before half-time. One moment of quality was all Arsenal needed.

Gyokeres missed a glaring chance in the second half, but it never felt costly. Atletico were not coming back.

For Antoine Griezmann – one of the greatest scorers in Atletico’s history – it ends in disappointment. He leaves for the MLS at the end of the season without a Champions League to his name.

But this night belongs to Arsenal. Ten wins and three draws in this competition, not a single defeat. Manchester City dropped points in a 3-3 draw at Everton, leaving the Premier League title firmly in Arsenal’s hands.

A first league title in 22 years. A first ever Champions League. Both are now within reach.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

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Dylan Johnson