Arsenal beat Atletico and reach the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years

London’s Arsenal became Champions League finalists after narrowly defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie. Over the two matches, Mikel Arteta’s side proved stronger with a 2-1 aggregate score. The only goal came late in the first half from Bukayo Saka.

The evening in north London was tense and cautious. From the opening minutes, Arsenal had more possession and tried to control the tempo, but the first genuinely dangerous chance was created by the visitors. As early as the 8th minute, Julian Alvarez met a pass from Giuliano Simeone after a quick attack, but sent his shot wide.

The hosts struggled for a long time to break down Madrid’s compact defence. The Gunners more often tried their luck from distance and searched for spaces, but Atletico’s back line remained extremely disciplined. The turning point came just before half-time. Viktor Gyokeres found Leandro Trossard in the penalty area, the Belgian managed to get a shot away from a difficult position, and Jan Oblak pushed the ball straight into Saka’s path. The Arsenal winger was first to the rebound and sent the ball into the net — 1-0.

After the break, Atletico became more active. In the 56th minute, Antoine Griezmann tested David Raya with a powerful strike, but the London side’s goalkeeper came to his team’s rescue. Soon after, both coaches made a series of substitutions in an attempt to change the course of the match.

Arsenal’s fresh players could have settled the question of the winner once and for all. Martin Odegaard, who came on in the second half, soon fired over the bar, while Piero Hincapie created a chance for Gyokeres with an accurate pass, but the striker failed to direct the ball on target.

In the closing stages, Atletico tried to increase the pressure, but Arsenal worked intelligently without the ball and did not allow their opponents to create many clear scoring opportunities. The Londoners preserved their advantage and achieved a historic result — for the first time since 2006, the club will play in the Champions League final.

Declan Rice was named player of the match. The Arsenal midfielder produced a powerful performance in the centre of the pitch, effectively linking defence with attack and helping the team maintain balance during the most intense spells of the game.

After the final whistle, match-winner Bukayo Saka did not hide his emotions, noting that reaching the final meant a great deal both to the team and to the supporters.

The Champions League final will take place in Budapest, where Arsenal will compete for Europe’s top club trophy against the winner of the PSG - Bayern tie, whose first match ended 5-4.