📸 Saka sends Arsenal to heaven: Champions League final after 20 years 🔥 | OneFootball

Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 and book the first ticket to Budapest, where the UEFA Champions League final will be played.

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At the Emirates, it was a full-on night: an incredible push from the Gunners fans, with spectacular choreography and the message “Over land and sea,” a symbol of support without borders. On the pitch, though, the start was cagey, with more tension than football, plenty of intensity but very few clear chances.

The match suddenly came alive in the 44th minute, when Saka broke the deadlock: a perfect move with Gyokeres attacking the space, Trossard shooting, Oblak parrying, and from the rebound “StarBoy” made it 1-0, a huge goal that sent Arsenal to the final right on the stroke of half-time.

In the second half Atletico tried to respond: they appealed for two incidents in the box (one involving Giuliano Simeone, the other Antoine Griezmann) and Diego Simeone went all in with five substitutions already by the 66th minute.

There were chances to kill the game and to reopen it: Gyokeres wasted one from a perfect position by blasting over, while late on it was Alexander Sorloth who had the ball for the equaliser but completely miskicked just a few metres from goal.

That’s how it ended: Arsenal are through to the Champions League final for only the second time in their history, twenty years after the one they lost in 2005/06 against Barcelona. It has been an extraordinary season for Arteta’s side, who control their own destiny in the Premier League and on 30 May will go for the biggest achievement in the club’s history.

🔚 Arsenal FLY to Budapest: it’s a Champions League final

For the second time in their history, and exactly twenty years later, Arsenal have reached the UEFA Champions League final. Now they await the winner of Bayern-PSG, which will be played tomorrow evening.

💥 Almost a brawl at the end: sparks between Cholo and Calafiori

Right in the final moments tensions rose on the Atletico bench and a brawl was nearly sparked: in particular, Simeone and Calafiori had words with each other.

😅 Sorloth stumbles and completely misses the shot in front of goal

86TH MINUTE - The best chance to level the score fell to Sorloth, but he wasted it in grotesque fashion.

Atletico Madrid break the press and move up the pitch: Álex Baena plays a perfect ball into the box for the striker, all alone around 12 metres out. The Norwegian tries a left-footed turn... but completely misses the ball! Arsenal survive and clear it away.

🙄 Simeone surprises everyone: Grizi and Alvarez OFF in the 66th minute

😨 What a MISS by Gyokeres: blazes over!

65TH MINUTE - Piero Hincapié breaks through on the left and sends in a perfect ball, whipped across the face of goal. Gyokeres arrives late into the area and side-foots it from an ideal position, but the ball flies unbelievably high. A massive chance to finish it off... let’s hope it won’t matter at full time.

😱 Calafiori takes a HUGE risk: it would have been a penalty

56TH MINUTE - Calafiori made a big mistake, but gets away with it. Antoine Griezmann drives forward with space and fires a low right-footed shot: a sharp save from the Gunners keeper.

From the rebound Gabriel Magalhães clears, but is fouled by Arnau Pubill: a huge decision, because a few seconds later Calafiori catches Griezmann cleanly in the box. Play goes on despite the protests, but the referee’s earlier whistle prevents a possible VAR intervention. Right after that Arteta replaces the Italian with Hincapie.

⚠ DECISIVE Gabriel, Simeone appeals for a penalty!

51ST MINUTE - A gigantic chance wasted by Giuliano Simeone, who also complains to referee Siebert.

Long ball forward, a mistake on the backpass by William Saliba takes David Raya out of the play. Simeone rounds the keeper, but Gabriel recovers perfectly: a decisive intervention that sends the winger’s shot wide. Simeone then goes down after touching the ball, but appeals for a penalty, which is not given (rightly so).

⚽ Arsenal score with their first shot on target: Saka goal!

44TH MINUTE - Just when it looked like the teams would go into the dressing rooms at 0-0, the home side struck in a flash. Just like in the first leg, the goal came in the 44th minute.

A perfect move from the Gunners: Gyokeres attacks the space with a brilliant run that throws the defence off and forces Jan Oblak off his line. The ball reaches Leandro Trossard, who hits a low shot, the keeper parries, but on the rebound the usual Saka, from close range, hammers it into the net.

Atletico appealed for a possible offside, but the images immediately showed Ruggeri playing the Englishman onside, as he returned to scoring in the Champions League after almost seven months.

RANDOM STAT #1: Bukayo Saka has scored 50% (2 out of 4) of all Arsenal’s goals in Champions League semi-finals.

RANDOM STAT #2: Atlético Madrid have conceded 74 goals in all competitions this season: that had never happened under Diego Simeone.

😑 First half-hour without a shot on target

A few chances, yes, but no shots on target after half an hour. A very cautious start from Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, almost mirroring their respective managers, both visibly careful. Plenty of intensity, pressing and counter-pressing, but very little flowing football: for now it’s more of a tactical battle than a technical spectacle.

🧱 Atletico close to scoring: Rice BLOCKS Simeone

11TH MINUTE - The tempo rose immediately and Simeone’s side came closest to scoring.

Antoine Griezmann breaks free down the wing and whips in a low cross. David Raya parries it straight to Giuliano Simeone, all alone eight metres out, but Rice is monumental and saves everything with a decisive intervention.

⛵ “Over land and sea” reads the Gunners choreography

“Over land and sea” read the Gunners choreography shown as the two teams came onto the pitch. In this context, that phrase should not only be translated literally, but understood as a clear message along the lines of: “everywhere, without limits”, “from every corner of the world”, referring to fans who follow the team wherever it goes.

🔥 FIERY atmosphere outside the Emirates Stadium

A fiery atmosphere at the Emirates for the clash between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. According to Sky Sports, the Atletico team bus arrived first, with a few objects thrown but no major issues. Then Arsenal arrived, surrounded by red smoke and deafening chants: visibility was almost zero and the atmosphere electric.

⚠ The evening’s RANDOM STAT

Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are the teams that have played the most Champions League matches without ever winning it.

✅ The OFFICIAL line-ups

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Eze, Trossard, Gyökeres.

Unavailable: Timber, Merino.

ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Oblak; Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann.

Unavailable: Nico Gonzalez, Barrios.

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

📸 ADRIAN DENNIS - AFP or licensors