Atletico Down and Out
LIVE: It’s underway! Who will advance to the final?
The first Champions League finalist has been decided: Arsenal FC defeated Atlético Madrid 1-0 in a hard-fought semifinal second leg in London on Tuesday evening. The first leg in Spain had ended 1-1. This means the English side is back in the final after 20 years and dreaming of its first title.
Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal in North London in the 45th minute. Their opponent in the final on May 30 in Budapest will be determined on Wednesday (9 p.m./live on the sportkrone.at ticker) in the match between Bayern Munich and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal last reached the final in 2006, but lost to FC Barcelona at the time. Manager Mikel Arteta and his team now have the chance to lift the trophy in the Champions League, in addition to their first Premier League title since 2004. The Gunners are the only team in the current Champions League season to remain undefeated, with 11 wins in 14 matches. Atlético, on the other hand, missed out on the third final in the club’s history in their 15th season under coach Diego Simeone.
Arteta Relying on Weekend Winners
Arteta surprised everyone before the match. The Spaniard fielded the same starting eleven that had defeated Fulham 3-0 in the league. Captain Martin Ödegaard, who had recently been struggling with injury, started on the bench alongside Martin Zubimendi, while 19-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly played in midfield. Simeone had rested his entire starting lineup in the league over the weekend. In London, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, and the rest of the squad were all back in action.
Atletico, who had lost 0-4 at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the league season, sat deep, closed down space, but looked dangerous on the counterattack. Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone found themselves in shooting positions in the opponent’s penalty area twice in the first eleven minutes. Arsenal pressed forward more aggressively. A cross from Lewis-Skelly whizzed past both friend and foe. The Gunners just couldn’t get that final pass to connect. The home side was also unable to capitalize on their well-known strengths in set-piece situations.
Saka scores just before halftime
Just as thehalftimewhistle was about to blow, the fans were finally pulled from their seats. The hard-working Viktor Gyökeres disrupted Atletico’s defense with his run. Jan Oblak managed to parry Leandro Trossard’s shot, but Saka, who had come on as captain, pounced on the rebound. In a match characterized by strong defensive lines, Arsenal was on track after 45 minutes.
Five minutes after the restart, however, Arsenal fans had to hold their breath. After an unintentional header by Arsenal’s William Saliba, Giuliano Simeone had a clear path to goal, but Gabriel prevented what seemed like a certain goal with a tackle. Atlético was now pushing harder on offense. Goalkeeper David Raya saved a shot by Griezmann, and in a controversial moment a split second later, the Spaniards protested in vain for a foul on the Frenchman.
Both coaches brought in fresh legs with triple substitutions. Shortly after, Diego Simeone also took Alvarez and Griezmann off the field. Arteta watched as Gyökeres thundered the ball over the crossbar from a full run (66'). Time was now running out for Atlético. Substitute Alexander Sörloth had another great chance but failed to connect properly with the ball (86'). Simeone’s long-term project thus missed out on the crown again this year.
Final score:
Arsenal - Atlético Madrid 1-0 (1-0)
Goal: Saka (45')
First leg 1-1, Arsenal advances to the final with an aggregate score of 2-1.
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