An incredible night at the Emirates Stadium. After two decades of waiting, heartbreak, and near-misses, the Arsenal Gunners are heading to the Champions League final.
Bukayo Saka delivered the moment that North London has been dreaming about for 20 years, scoring the decisive goal in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid that sealed a 2-1 aggregate triumph in the semifinals.
"In those situations I just try and stay alive," Saka said after the match, according to UEFA. "Sometimes it bounces for you, sometimes it doesn't, but you have to be there, and I was there."
That's the mindset of a winner, folks. Saka has transformed from the young player who missed that penalty at Euro 2020 into Arsenal's clutch performer on the biggest stage.
Manager Mikel Arteta was emotional in his postgame comments: "An incredible night. We've made history together...After 20 years and for the second time in our history, we're in the Champions League final."
Let's put this in perspective - Arsenal has been unbeaten throughout the entire competition with 11 wins and 3 draws from 14 matches. They've conceded just six goals across all 14 UEFA Champions League matches. This isn't luck, this is dominance.
Declan Rice, named Player of the Match, captured the magnitude perfectly: "The Champions League is the most prestigious tournament and it's a proud moment for the club and the boys."
Even Atletico Madrid coach - never one to hand out compliments easily - acknowledged the inevitable:
