Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years as Bukayo Saka scored a 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s team settled the semi-final second leg with Saka’s strike late in the first half at an ecstatic Emirates Stadium.
After Saka’s goal, the Gunners, who drew 1-1 in the first leg in Madrid last week, held firm to advance 2-1 on aggregate.
On May 30, Arsenal will play either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest.
Ahead of the second leg in Munich on Wednesday, holders PSG, who defeated Arsenal in the semifinals the previous year, are ahead 5-4.
Arsenal, who are back in the Champions League final for the first time since losing 2-1 to Barcelona in their lone prior appearance in the main event in 2006, had a cathartic evening.
Arsenal’s two major European victories were the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994; however, they have never won the Champions League.
In the 2019 Europa League, they lost to Chelsea 4-1 in their most recent European final.
As they pursue a Premier League and Champions League double, this season is looking to be Arsenal’s best ever.
If they complete the job, even Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles,” who won the club’s last English crown in an undefeated top-flight season in 2004, may have to submit to the present generation.
Saka, the homegrown icon of the Arteta era, was appropriately the game-winning player for Arsenal.
The draw between second-place Manchester City and Everton on Monday gave Premier League leaders Arsenal, who are now only four games away from immortality, a significant boost in the race for the championship.
If the Gunners defeat West Ham, Burnley, and Crystal Palace in their final three games, they will be proclaimed champions.
Arsenal will travel to Hungary with the goal of winning the Champions League for the first time once the title is determined.
After a sequence of four losses in six games across all competitions brought up painful memories of past failures to end their six-year search for trophies, Arsenal experienced taunts about their alleged lack of mental toughness.
Julian Alvarez’s shot went just wide, and Giuliano Simeone’s close-range attempt bounced past the post, almost catching Arsenal on the counter in a frantic opening.
However, Arsenal overcame those nervous moments to produce a commanding performance that resulted in their goal in the 44th minute.
The Atletico defense was undermined by Viktor Gyokeres’ deft move, and his cross found Leandro Trossard inside the box.
Jan Oblak weakly pushed away a low drive that Trossard wriggled into just enough space for. Saka responded faster than his flat-footed markers, slotting home from four yards.
As the Emirates burst into a raging red sea of celebration all around him, Arteta joyfully punched the air.
In the second half, Atletico attempted to spoil the celebration, but David Raya stopped Antoine Griezmann’s shot and Gabriel Magalhaes made a last-ditch tackle on Simeone to prevent a certain goal.
Even in the challenging early years of his reign, Arteta recently disclosed that he imagined Arsenal winning the Champions League.
Now, the Spaniard only needs one victory to turn that fantasy into a magnificent reality.
