Arsenal showed just how far they’ve come under Mikel Arteta by thrashing Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate – and David Raya believes they can go all the way in the Champions League
David Raya says Arsenal have made a “real statement” of intent in the Champions League. Gunners keeper Raya believes Arsenal are now ready to go on and “write their own history” by winning the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
They knocked out 15-time winners Real Madrid after beating the Spanish giants in both legs to clock up a daunting aggregate 5-1 victory to make the rest of Europe sit up and take notice. But it did not just show they are ready for Paris Saint-Germain in the semi finals, it also blew away any doubts in the Arsenal dressing room.
It is the first time in 16 years that Arsenal have reached a Champions League semi final and they now believe they can reach the final in Munich on May 31. Arsenal were better in every department than Real Madrid and, after all the talk of the Spanish giants staging a second-leg comeback, it was Mikel Arteta’s heroes who delivered one of the best European nights in their history.
Raya said: “It’s a real statement, it’s great the way we beat Madrid twice and, coming to the Bernabeu, the way we played, the way we defended, and pressing high the way we were very attacking minded.
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“It’s been very long since this club was in the semi final but we are here to create our own history and hopefully we can dream and we are going to try everything in our hands to do it. But the main thing is going step by step and staying in the present.
“We knew it was out there because it’s Real Madrid, it’s part of the history. But we said ‘we are here to create our own history’ and that’s what we did, the way we came to the Bernabeu and the way we played, the way we defended, the way we created chances.
“We kept them quiet and in the second half, they created chances and they took one and we took our chances and we won the game and credit to us. It was a very complete match from us and we played very good.”
Arsenal have already beaten PSG in the league phase of the Champions League but Luis Enrique’s men were under-strength that night with injuries. PSG star forward and danger man Ousmane Dembélé had also fallen out with Enrique back then and yet is firmly back on board and playing his best football in an attacking line-up.
But both Liverpool and Aston Villa have beaten PSG in the knock-out only to lose on aggregate. Raya warned: “Yeah we beat them at home but I think PSG now are a different team, they look even better now than what they looked back in the group stage and that’s credit to them.
“They didn’t get easy games either, but for now let’s look to the present and focus on Ipswich and see when it comes to it.”
Arsenal also showed real character in the Bernabeu as Bukayo Saka missed a first half penalty only to then make amends by scoring in the second half in the win. That shows Arsenal’s character but Raya also said it underlined Saka’s mentality and determination to be one of Europe’s top players.
Raya added: “We scored two goals, even though we missed a penalty in the first half, but these things happen and then Bukayo scores us the first goal and then that gives us the self-confidence to win the game.
“These things happen, mistakes happen, penalties are missed but credit to Bukayo, he stepped up to take the pen and sometimes you score and sometimes you miss but the good thing is that, after, he went one-on-one with Courtois and he scored and that is the main thing.
“That pen I think gave a bit of hope to them but we kept very cool in those situations and we defended very well and they didn’t create many chances.”
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