LONDON — Arsenal reached their first UEFA Champions League final in 20 years after Bukayo Saka‘s 45th-minute tap-in gave the Gunners a 2-1 semifinal aggregate win over Atlético Madrid.
On a tense and hugely emotional night at Emirates Stadium, Saka’s close-range finish was enough to secure a 1-0 win on the night and spark euphoric scenes at the final whistle as manager Mikel Arteta and his players ran the length of the pitch to celebrate. The Gunners have never won the Champions League before, losing 2-1 to Barcelona in their only previous appearance in 2006.
Atlético started the better of the two sides, with Julián Álvarez and Giuliano Simeone both threatening early on, but Arsenal grew in authority and broke the deadlock just before the interval. Viktor Gyökeres got to the byline and his cross eventually found Leandro Trossard, who worked an opening to shoot on his right foot. Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved his shot, but Saka was first to the rebound.
Simeone was denied an equalizer by an excellent challenge from Gabriel Magalhães, while at the other end, Gyökeres side-footed a shot over the crossbar unmarked from 12 yards.
Substitute Alexander Sorloth wasted a late chance, but Arsenal hung on to secure a win and set up a clash with either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich on May 30 in Budapest. — James Olley
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Historic night for Arsenal
Arteta has often highlighted Arsenal’s modest record in this competition as a reminder to any disbelievers that they are already excelling in relative terms. This was the first time they had reached back-to-back Champions League semifinals in their history, and now only a second final, 20 years after their first.
The atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium matched the moment. Thousands of fans lined the streets to greet the team bus, they unveiled a new tifo as the teams walked out, and the noise all evening long was deafening. The final whistle triggered nothing short of a party. Arteta encouraged his players to line up in unison and run towards the supporters in celebration at both ends of the pitch.
There has been some debate over whether Arteta warrants a new contract — he has 12 months left on his existing deal — as Arsenal fans ponder whether he can get this team over the line and win major trophies after a six-year drought. That ultimate question is still to be answered, but achievements like this are landmark moments. The Spaniard might well have silenced his doubters already. — Olley
Simeone’s Atléti falls short once more
For 90 minutes, it felt like Diego Simeone kicked every ball at the Emirates. The Atlético coach didn’t sit on his bench once, instead spending the entire game on the edge — or often outside — of his technical area, shouting instructions to his players and disputing every refereeing decision. There wasn’t a moment when Simeone wasn’t trying to communicate a tactical tweak, adjusting the team’s shape, and looking for answers to the problems Atlético faced.
In added time, as the rain fell, Simeone was still there, almost on the pitch, telling the referee to hurry Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya up in taking one last goal kick and earning a yellow card. The coach has changed Atlético as a club from top to bottom, making them Champions League regulars, a genuine force in European football, and twice finalists in this competition. But there won’t be a third time, at least not this season.
Atlético’s 2025-26 Champions League campaign was admirable, especially in their elimination of Barcelona, and in this tie there were long spells where Simeone’s team were Arsenal’s equals, or even superior. But they lacked the ability to be clinical — Simeone’s favorite word in Spanish, contundencia— in key moments. Here, they did not capitalize on the limited opportunities they had. Simeone was active in the second half, and bold in withdrawing his two most talented players, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez early — substitute Alexander Sorloth spurning a great chance to level — but the coach’s brave decisions weren’t rewarded.
At full time, Simeone was on the pitch again, going over to salute the travelling Atlético fans in the far corner. Along with veteran captain Koke, who was excellent, he was the last man off the pitch. Both have been through so much in Europe, from the 2014 final onward. It remains to be seen whether they’ll get another opportunity like this. — Alex Kirkland
Arsenal’s homegrown star delivers again
Bukayo Saka’s return to Arsenal’s lineup has come just in time. For weeks, they have lacked a consistent cutting edge in the final third ,but last Saturday, he needed just 45 minutes to put Fulham away with a brilliant assist and a fine goal. His match-winning strike here was a simple tap-in but still required alertness to react first as Oblak palmed Leandro Trossard’s shot out to his left.
Saka becomes the first Arsenal player ever to score in two Champions League semifinals after his goal against Paris Saint-Germain 12 months earlier. He has now scored in back-to-back matches — as many goals as he managed in his previous 26 appearances as he battled for form and fitness.
Only Sol Campbell has ever scored in a final for Arsenal, back in 2006. Saka had to go off after an hour here as his return from an Achilles injury is carefully managed, but this was another step forward for the 24-year-old. Don’t bet against him matching Campbell’s feat in Budapest. — Olley
Griezmann leaves everything on the pitch
Simeone asked his players to “give their souls, everything they had” in this, Atlético Madrid’s biggest game for almost a decade. Antoine Griezmann did just that.
In what will now be his last Champions League appearance, the 35-year-old was customarily outstanding for Atlético, offering a powerful reminder of just what the team will lose this summer, and what will be Orlando City’s gain. One moment in the first half summed up his contribution: tracking back into the Atlético penalty area to help his team defend, and then celebrating like he had scored a goal when he helped his team win a goal kick. In his 66 minutes on the pitch, Griezmann’s out-of-possession statistics were impressive: four tackles, eight duels and two recoveries. In that time, only one Atlético teammate contributed more in defense.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Griezmann was involved in almost every piece of promising attacking play from the visitors. When Atlético’s first chance came, for Julían Alvarez in the eighth minute, Griezmann started the move. Three minutes later, it was Griezmann’s pullback that forced David Raya into a save, with Giuliano Simeone close to converting the second ball. In the second half, with Atlético a goal down, it was Griezmann who came closest to finding an equalizer — his shot saved by Raya, before the forward appeared to be fouled by Riccardo Calafiori. Atlético were incensed not to be awarded a penalty kick.
Griezmann was substituted in the 66th minute, not because he had underperformed, but because he’d given everything. There would be no opportunity for him to exorcise the ghosts of 2016, when he missed a penalty in the final. When he went off here, it felt like Atlético’s chances went with him. — Kirkland
Gunners’ rock-solid defense holds firm
A key reason for the Gunners’ recent wobble in the Premier League was that they had started to leak goals whereas earlier in the campaign, scoring one would invariably be enough to win. They have had no such issues in the Champions League, conceding just six goals in 14 matches en route to the final. Only two teams in Champions League history have more than Arsenal’s nine shutouts in the competition this season.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are cementing their reputation as one of the finest center-back pairings in Europe, and the former was particularly invaluable here. Some key moments went his way, most notably when challenging Simeone in the box six minutes after halftime. Arsenal also needed substitute Alexander Sorloth to fluff his lines five minutes from the end when presented with an excellent chance to equalize. But those slices of luck were earned by a team that has been rock solid at the back, to the extent they are still unbeaten in the competition.
PSG or Bayern Munich will provide their sternest test yet, but if they defend as resolutely for one more night, they will have a chance. — Olley
