Match report: the European dream ends in London | OneFootball

Atleti made us dream, but in the end it wasn’t to be. The dream in London lasted as long as Julián’s ankle did, aside from some very home-friendly refereeing (a European classic) and an uncalled penalty on Griezmann that could have changed the course of the match.

There was also a chance for Giuliano, who was slightly nudged so he couldn’t strike cleanly when he was alone in front of goal, and that was also key in the match.

But let’s be honest, we could have beaten this Arsenal side, but between Atleti’s misses in the second half (they deserved to score more than one goal) and a second leg in which we weren’t sharp in attack, this adventure has come to an end.

In the first half, Atleti only came close with real danger on a run by Giuliano, who linked up with Julián, and he shot close to goal but not between the posts. Griezmann also had a good chance after controlling the ball on the edge of the box, but he didn’t set himself to shoot, tried to connect with Llorente, who was offside, and the opportunity went to waste.

Arsenal, meanwhile, had more chances, with runs down the wing that created danger. But although he didn’t score, Gyokeres was crucial, winning aerial balls against the center-backs (only Pubill managed to contain him), and on one of those plays where he won the ball, he crossed and Trossard shot. Oblak made the save, but the rebound fell short and dropped to Saka, who scored the only goal of the match.

The lack of chances and the injuries killed Atlético

The chances of winning the tie lasted as long as Julián Álvarez’s ankle did. Before being substituted because of physical problems, Griezmann had a shot saved by Raya, in addition to a chance for Giuliano alone in front of the goalkeeper, where he was slightly knocked off balance just before shooting.

Griezmann was also denied a penalty after Calafiori stepped on him, but it disappeared into limbo because of a non-existent prior foul by Pubill.

After that came the substitutions, with Cardoso, Molina and Sørloth coming on, and shortly after Baena and Almada. Then came a Gyokeres chance that went begging after a cross from Hincapié, and another for Sørloth in the 85th minute, when he didn’t connect properly and Atleti wasted their best chance in the final stretch of the match.

And with that, the dream was over, because in the scant five minutes of stoppage time, no football was played at all, with balls disappearing, Arsenal’s substitutes on the pitch, and so on.

The dream is over, but we dreamed big, and for that we have to thank Cholo and the players.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.