Arsenal have advanced to the Champions League semi-final for the third time in the club’s history with a 2-1 victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, winning 5-1 on aggregate.
Having won the first leg 3-0, Arsenal increased their advantage in the 65th minute with a lovely chipped goal from Bukayo Saka. Madrid cancelled that strike out just two minutes later as Vinicius Junior caught William Saliba napping, but a goal in second-half stoppage time from Gabriel Martinelli put the result beyond any doubt.
In a frenetic first half, Saka had seen a Panenka penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois, while VAR intervened at the other end to deny Real Madrid a spot kick of their own.
Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final while Barcelona and Inter will meet in the other last-four tie.
The 2024-25 Champions League final will be held at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on Saturday, May 31.
The 75,024-capacity arena has hosted various key events in the football calendar since it opened in 2005.
It hosted the 2006 World Cup’s opening match, as well as the semi-final between France and Portugal. The stadium hosted several European Championship matches in 2020 and 2024.
The Allianz Arena was the venue for the 2012 Champions League final, when Chelsea lifted the trophy with a penalty shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich.
The Champions League semi-finals are available to watch via Paramount+ in the United States, as the exclusive English-language rights holders of the competition.
Of course, we will be covering them live on The Athletic too.
Once Arsenal have climbed down from cloud nine, their attention will turn to their Premier League trip to Ipswich Town on Sunday. Although, with very little to play for domestically, their focus will not deviate too far away from the Champions League.
Defeat for Arsenal at Portman Road and a victory for Liverpool away against Leicester City would confirm Arne Slot’s side as Premier League champions.
As for Real Madrid, they still have a domestic title to play for, although they are four points back from Barcelona with seven games left.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men host Athletic Club at the Bernabeu on Sunday evening knowing that only victory will do as they look to retain their La Liga crown.
When Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo line up across Madrid’s front line, you immediately picture a high-octane, fluid attack.
Incisive running, mazy dribbles, and slick, one-touch interplay are all things that you typically associate with Ancelotti’s side but against Arsenal tonight their modus operandi was different: get the ball into the mixer.
It wasn’t just the volume that stood out, but the lack of precision. Many of these balls into the box were aimless — overhit, underhit, or floated into zones where no one in white was poised to challenge.
Arsenal dealt with them comfortably, keeping their shape and resetting before the next hopeful delivery. None of Madrid’s front three are renowned for their aerial threat.
If anyone was going to profit from that approach, it was their England midfielder Jude Bellingham — and even that felt like a stretch.
Arsenal were one of the Champions League’s best defensive teams coming into the quarter-finals.
Before facing Madrid, they ranked first in the competition this season for expected goals (xG) against per game (0.88), while only Inter (0.2) had conceded fewer goals per game than Arsenal’s 0.6.
After scoring three times in the tie’s first leg, being organised at the Bernabeu was not a tough ask for Arteta’s squad. Even so, the way they defended both collectively and individually was exceptional.
Individually, Jurrien Timber was proactive against Vinicius Jr. Saliba and Jakub Kiwior wasted no time getting touches on crosses and shots from range. Rice and Partey ensured no passes or cutbacks could reach their targets.
Rice and Kiwior continued to shine when isolated in the second half, and it was telling that Vinicius Jr’s goal came from an Arsenal error in build-up.
Saliba not being aware of his surroundings was uncharacteristic, but also an important reminder to always stay switched on ahead of the semi-finals.
It felt like a huge turning point for Arsenal.
A first-half penalty for Madrid, the aggregate score potentially reduced to 3-1 and Rice on a yellow card: the England midfielder playing the next hour on a knife-edge and knowing he would be suspended for the first leg of the semi-final if Arsenal got through.
Rice was astonished when Letexier pointed to the spot after he had tussled with Mbappe. The booking that followed added insult to injury. Rice pleaded with Letexier that he was innocent and the VAR official agreed with the penalty and caution being rescinded five minutes later.
It’s impossible to overstate the England midfielder’s importance to this Arsenal side.
He was, without question, the outstanding player across this tie, dominating midfield with and without the ball, scoring two exceptional free-kick goals in its first leg and leading his team in a way that makes him feel irreplaceable.
Arsenal are in their third Champions League semi-final — and what a way to do it. Winning both legs against holders Madrid shows the levels Arteta has elevated this club to since taking over in December 2019 when they were playing in the second-tier Europa League.
Saka and Martinelli were young starlets then, so it was somewhat fitting that they were the two goalscorers in the Bernabeu. The performances of both were typically selfless and they got their rewards.
A point was made to Arteta about Jose Mourinho’s well-known “football heritage” phrase after the first leg. He said that he would prefer to hear it “in relation to big trophies” but recognised that clubs “have to start somewhere”.
Arsenal started on this journey a while back, but this is surely the best night of his time in charge by a long way.
(The Athletic)
