Published: 09:03 AM, 07 May 2026
Arsenal beats Atletico Madrid, enters UEFA Champions League final
Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years as BukayoSaka sealed a 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
MikelArteta's side settled the semifinal second leg with Saka's strike late in the first half at an ecstatic Emirates Stadium. The Gunners, who drew 1-1 in the first leg in Madrid last week, held firm after Saka's goal to go through 2-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final in Budapest on May 30. Holder PSG, which beat Arsenal in the semifinals last year, has a 5-4 lead ahead of the second leg in Munich on Wednesday.
It was a cathartic night for Arsenal, which is back in the Champions League final for the first time since losing 2-1 to Barcelona in its only previous appearance in the showpiece in 2006.
Arsenal has never won the Champions League, with its two major European trophies coming in the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
It's last continental final ended in a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League.
It is shaping up to be Arsenal's greatest ever season as it chases a Premier League and Champions League double.
Even Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' - who won the club's last English title in an unbeaten top-flight campaign in 2004 - might have to bow to the current generation if they finish the job.
Fittingly, it was Saka - the homegrown symbol of the Arteta era - who proved Arsenal's match-winner.
Now just four games from immortality, Premier League leader Arsenal was given a huge boost in the title race when second-placed Manchester City drew at Everton on Monday. The Gunners will be crowned champions if they win their last three games against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Once the title is decided, Arsenal will head to Hungary with a maiden Champions League crown in its sights.
Arsenal endured jibes about its perceived lack of mental strength after a run of four defeats in six games in all competitions sparked painful memories of previous failures to end its six-year wait for silverware.
But the 'nearly-men' and 'serial choker' labels applied only weeks ago are on the verge of being banished forever.
Thousands of Arsenal supporters massed outside the stadium before kick-off to greet their team with flares and flags, a vociferous display of affection underlining Arsenal's desperation to make history.
It was the kind of evening in north London, when nothing was beyond the realm of possibility as Arsenal moved closer to casting off the shackles of two decades of underachievement.
After some tense performances during the Premier League run-in, Saturday's 3-0 rout of Fulham had showed Arsenal at its flowing best in a riposte to the critics who claim it only wins ugly.
This was a more prosaic display but no-one with an affinity to Arsenal was bothered in the slightest.
Arsenal was nearly caught on the counter in a frenetic start when Julian Alvarez shot just wide before GiulianoSimeone's close-range effort deflected past the post. But Arsenal recovered from those anxious moments to deliver a dominant spell that brought its 44th minute goal.
Viktor Gyokeres' clever run unhinged the Atleticodefence and his cross reached Leandro Trossard inside the area. Trossard wriggled into just enough space for a low drive that Jan Oblak weakly pushed out to Saka, who reacted quicker than his flat-footed markers to slot home from four yards.
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