Arsenal FC have reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in 20 years after a narrow 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
The decisive moment came late in the first half when Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the match, sealing a 2-1 aggregate win for Mikel Arteta’s side following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid.
The result sends Arsenal into their first Champions League final since 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Paris. The North London club have never won Europe’s elite club competition, with their only major continental honours being the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Arsenal will now face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final scheduled for May 30 in Budapest. PSG currently lead their semi-final tie 5-4 heading into the second leg in Munich.
The victory marks a defining moment in Mikel Arteta’s tenure, as Arsenal continue their push for a historic Premier League and Champions League double. The club is also leading the Premier League title race and could secure the domestic crown by winning their final three league matches.
Saka’s match-winning performance further cemented his status as a key figure in Arsenal’s resurgence under Arteta, with the homegrown winger delivering in a crucial European night at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s return to the Champions League final also ends a long wait since their only previous appearance in the competition’s showpiece, and sets up what could become the most successful season in the club’s modern history.
