A jubilant Mikel Arteta said the momentum is with Arsenal to win the Champions League following their historic victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, opened the scoring midway through the second period before Vinicius Junior responded just two minutes later only for Gabriel Martinelli to crown a famous 2-1 win on the night, and a crushing 5-1 aggregate victory, in stoppage time.
Arsenal, who will face Paris St Germain for a place in the semi-finals, made history by becoming the first English team to win in the Bernabeu twice, following Thierry Henry’s masterclass here nearly two decades ago.
And Arteta said: “The feeling that we have is a reality. We are ready to compete against anybody. And now we have to continue to do that because we have some momentum now.
“We are in the semi-final for only the third time in our history, and I am proud of the manner and the way we did it. Not only by the way we played, but also with the circumstances and the amount of injuries we have had.
“It was my first time as a coach in this dugout, and I realised after three minutes that in this stadium, anything is possible. They are the specialists of creating chaos and belief. But my players showed their own maturity and it is a night to be very proud of.”
Arsenal held a 3-0 advantage following Declan Rice’s supreme set-piece double at the Emirates last week, and Saka had the opportunity to kill the tie as early as the 13th minute when Arsenal were awarded a penalty after VAR spotted a foul on Mikel Merino by Raul Asencio.
Captain Martin Odegaard took the ball before handing it to Saka. But Arsenal’s star man fluffed an attempted Panenka with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois palming the poor penalty away with his left arm.
“I would have liked to slap him (Saka),” joked Arteta. “But the player has to make the decision, and he was bold enough to do it.
“That could have been a turning point emotionally in the game because it gave them a lot of belief. But then the way he handled the situation, and the way he played afterwards was incredible.”
Ten minutes later, Real thought they had a penalty of their own when Rice grappled with Kylian Mbappe in the box and the France forward dropped to the deck. However, referee Francois Letexier overruled his original decision and Arsenal survived.
Arteta also revealed he phoned Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola ahead of Wednesday’s fixture.
Arteta, who spent four seasons as Guardiola’s number two at the Etihad, said: “I called him 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.”
For Real Madrid, the defeat places doubt over Carlo Ancelotti’s future as manager of the Spanish giants.
“Maybe the club decides to replace me, and maybe it could be this year, or next year when my contract is over,” said the former Chelsea boss, who has won three of his five Champions League titles as a manager with Real.
“But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. That could be tomorrow, 10 days, one month or in one year, but if my contract ends or doesn’t end, I really don’t care.
“We have managed the bright side many times and we have won titles, but we need to manage the dark side, too. And we need to accept it because over the two games, Arsenal have been better than us.”
[(Gil Vicente FC) Strength]: 1. Gil Vicente FC finished 13th in the league last season. They aim to avoid relegation and fight for a Conference League spot in the new season. Facing FC Porto, the team are motivated to take points in this home game.2. Gil Vicente FC won the recent two games in a row across all competitions. They won 2-0 over CD Nacional in the last league game, smoothly starting wi...
[(Dynamo Dresden) Neutral]: 1. Both sides have never met before, so there were no records to refer to.[(Dynamo Dresden) Weakness]: 1. As the newly promoted team in the 2. Bundesliga, Dynamo Dresden suffered a losing streak in the first two rounds, being demoralized a lot. Facing 1.FSV Mainz 05 in the first game of the DFB-Pokal at home, the team find it hard to secure a win, indicating doubtful mo...
[(Jaro) Strength]: 1. Jaro are 8th in the table and still need points to secure a Championship play-offs spot, indicating full motivation in this match.2. Forward Kerfala Cissoko scored the winner in the last game, helping his side win.3. Jaro won 2-1 over FC Haka in the last game, securing a 2-game winning streak and showing outstanding recent form.4. Jaro were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in t...
[(SC Preussen Munster) Strength]: 1. In the new season, SC Preussen Munster's 3 goals in two league games were scored by 3 players, showing multiple scorers on offense.2. SC Preussen Munster won 4 of the last 5 home games in AH, boasting a decent home trend.[(SC Preussen Munster) Neutral]: 1. SC Preussen Munster drew 1-1 with SC Paderborn 07 in the last 2. Bundesliga game, showing average performa...
[(Rot-Weiss Essen) Strength]: 1. Rot-Weiss Essen are playing in the 3. Liga this season. Despite their inferior strength to their rivals, the team will still go all out to secure a qualification spot in this home game.2. Tobias Kraulich scored a goal in the last game, showing his outstanding form.3. Rot-Weiss Essen scored 2 goals and conceded 2 in the last 2 competitive games, boasting decent offe...
[(IFK Varnamo) Strength]: 1. IFK Varnamo are at the bottom of the table this season. If they want to avoid relegation, they have to go all out for points in every game, indicating strong motivation in this match.2. Kai Meriluoto scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with IF Elfsborg.3. IFK Varnamo won the last 2 games in AH, demonstrating recent performances in li...
[(Le Mans) Strength]: 1. Le Mans drew with En Avant Guingamp in the last league game, failing to start with a win. In this home match, they are motivated to secure their first win of the new season.2. William Harhouz scored an equalizer before the end of the last game, helping the team tie with En Avant Guingamp.3. Le Mans secured a 3-game winning streak in recent warm-up games at home, showing de...
[(Mirassol FC) Strength]: 1. Mirassol FC midfielder Gabriel Santana scored a goal in the last league game, performing actively.2. Mirassol FC scored 10 goals in the last 5 league games, averaging 2 goals per game, showing full offense.3. Mirassol FC conceded 5 goals in the last 5 league games, with an average of only 1 goal per game.4. Mirassol FC boast reliable home strength, remaining unbeaten w...
[(Leeds United) Strength]: 1. After relegation, Leeds United returned to the Premier League this season as the EFL Championship winners. The team significantly strengthened their squad during the summer transfer window, with the goal of staying in the Premier League this season. For their opening home game against Everton, they are determined to secure a winning start to the league, showing strong...
[(Elche) Strength]: 1. As the newly promoted team this season, Elche are motivated to start with a home win in their debut.2. In the summer window, Elche signed midfielder Federico Redondo, Real Madrid loan forward Alvaro Rodriguez, and Valencia CF striker German Valera.3. Elche finished 22 wins, 11 draws, and 9 losses in the Segunda Division last season, smoothly being promoted as the 2nd-placed ...
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