Arsenal have booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 16 years with a stunning win against Real Madrid and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has given his verdict
Mikel Arteta was overjoyed after Arsenal’s stunning win against Real Madrid. The Gunners sealed their spot in the Champions League semi-finals in style at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Arsenal were 3-0 up after the first-leg in North London and secured a dramatic 2-1 success in Spain to win 5-1 on aggregate. Bukayo Saka gave his side the lead as he recovered from a first-half penalty miss.
Vinicius Jr levelled matters on the night before Gabriel Martinelli scored late on. And speaking after the game, Arteta made clear his feelings on the Gunners victory: “One of the best nights in my football career.”
He told TNT Sports: “We played against a team with the biggest history. It has been an inspiration for all of us on this competition. To be able to win the tie in the manner we have done – I think we have to be very proud of ourselves. It is very difficult. After two-to-three minutes you realise anything can happen in this stadium.
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“Fortunately, a lot of things went for us. Overall, we did what we had to do to win the game. 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. All this experience is going to help us, for sure. We had full belief that we could beat this team and the players did it.”
And while Arteta was full of praise for his entire squad, he saved special comments for midfielder Declan Rice after he was named man-of-the-match. The Arsenal boss added: “Tonight, he was immense. He turned the game around. He was immense today. He made a difference.”
Who was Arsenal’s man-of-the-match vs Real Madrid? Share your thoughts in the comments below
The North London side have now set up a semi-final tie with French giants Paris Saint-Germain after their dramatic win against Aston Villa. And Arteta is under no illusions at the size of the task ahead of his side as they aim to reach the final.
He said: “I watched the game last night and it was a crazy game. I know the manager [Luis Enrique] really well, but let’s enjoy tonight. They’re a different team now and they’re on an incredible run at the moment.”
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