Arsenal beat Atletico to return to the Champions League final 20 years later

Two decades after their only appearance, Arsenal returned to the Champions League final on Tuesday after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of their semi-final at Emirates Stadium.

A goal by Bukayo Saka (45') took the Gunners to the second Champions League final in their history, after the one they lost in 2006 to Barcelona.

The Gunners will face the winner of the semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on Wednesday, where the French have the advantage after a 5-4 first-leg scoreline.

In London, the final was an all-or-nothing game after Atletico and Arsenal drew 1-1 last week.

Atletico, looking to reach its fourth European Cup final in its history, came out to press an opponent that wanted to take the ball from the first minute.

The pressure from Atlético disrupted Arsenal’s play, leading to repeated misplaced passes and turnovers.

Atletico tried to surprise in quick starts looking for Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann, who played his last Champions League match on Tuesday.

An hour for Julian and Griezmann

The Frenchman, a veteran of the last red-and-white final, lost in 2016 against Real Madrid, was aiming to take one more step in the continental tournament before leaving the club at the end of the season for Orlando in MLS.

The two would end up retiring in what was a tough blow for the rojiblanco attack (66').

The Argentine could only last an hour after suffering from ankle problems since the first leg.

As the minutes ticked by, Arsenal found a way to overcome the pressure and take control of the match.

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak saw a Myles Lewis-Kelly cross saunter across the goal line without anyone finishing (25').

But, the home side would have to wait until almost halftime to take the lead.

Viktor Gyokeres went down the left and played a ball to the other side that Leandro Trossard shot for Oblak to clear.

The clearance fell into the goalmouth to Saka, who had only to push it in to make it 1-0 (45').

Raya stops Llorente

Arsenal took advantage of their lead to take a step back, while Atletico went in search of the goal that would tie the game.

Griezmann unleashed a close-range shot that Raya cleared (55'), but shortly after Arsenal responded with a Piero Hincapie pass into the box where Gyokeres sent the ball high alone in front of Oblak (66').

With time running out and the game broken, Atletico began to attack with more heart than head against a very orderly Arsenal, who sought to surprise on the counterattack.

Marcos Llorente could have made it 1-1 with a low shot from the edge of the area, but Raya appeared to block (81).

Thrown into desperation, Atletico were unable to turn the result around in a scrappy end to the match and once again fell just short of the final as they did in 2017 against Real Madrid.