It was certainly a memorable night for Arsenal fans and players as the Gunners’ dramatic 2-1 win against Real Madrid in a hostile Bernabeu secured the club just a third Champions League semi-final after an impressive first-leg 3-0 win.
Bukayo Saka‘s saved panenka spot-kick cancelled out Kylian Mbappe’s overruled penalty in the first half, but Arsenal ultimately snatched a victory that has sent a message to the rest of Europe.
Saka more than made up for his failed kick with a splendid second-half strike that had Arsenal supporters out of their seats, but William Saliba immediately gifted Vinicius Junior an equaliser that gave the Spanish team hope.
However, the Gunners defended admirably to settle the nerves and Gabriel Martinelli eventually broke free to secure the victory very late in the game, securing an exciting semi-final clash vs Paris Saint-Germain.
According to Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, it was one of his best nights as a football coach because eliminating the team with the biggest history in the UEFA Champions League is something to be proud of. “One of the best nights in my football career. We played against a team with the biggest history. It has been an inspiration for all of us on this competition.”
Arteta, however, maintained that his players cannot relent now that they’ve secured a semi-final ticket because it is only going to get tougher from here on. His words, “The history we have in this competition is so short. The third time in our history of what we have just done and we have to build on that. And now we have to continue to do that because I think we have some momentum now.”
Mikel added that he sought advice from Pep Guardiola ahead of the game since he has more experience when it comes to having his players not crack during intense football situations.
“I called him (Guardiola) this morning because I am here thanks to him. As a player and a coach he has been an inspiration to me. I had four amazing years with him, and I will always be grateful to him,” he added.
