Loud cheers echo through the Emirates Stadium when striker Viktor Gyökeres earns a corner for Arsenal after pulling and dragging in the 71st minute. Time saved again for the Londoners, with the score 1-0 against Atlético Madrid. There is little question of neat play, with fighting football Arsenal tries to defend its lead. The unpolished Gyökeres is at the forefront of that battle, he urges the sixty thousand Arsenal supporters with arm gestures to get behind the team even more.
Many of them can’t hold it anymore at that point; they pray, nervously cover their faces with their hands or tear up from the tension. Their club is only twenty minutes away from their first Champions League final place in twenty years. Last week the first leg in Madrid ended 1-1.
A few minutes later, Atlético coach Diego Simeone makes an attempt to calm his team. Waving his arms and moving downwards, he gestures that his players still have enough time to score the equalizer. A great chance also comes in minute 86, but in the penalty area substitute Alexander Sørloth unfortunately hits his own leg after a low cross.
It would be the last chance in a match that was very similar to the first leg: two competing teams, who again gave away few chances and took few major risks themselves. In that match, Arsenal proved to be barely passable – coach Mikel Arteta’s team only conceded six goals this entire Champions League season – ultimately the strongest.
High-five
The match has already been underway for more than forty minutes when Atlético striker Antoine Griezmann roars with joy and his teammates Giuliano Simeone and Marc Pubill high-five gives. Both teams have hardly had any chances. Griezmann is not cheering because he has scored, but because he has prevented Gyökeres from becoming dangerous at his own back line.
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The moment is indicative of the first half, in which The Gunners Have 68 percent possession of the ball and try to be dangerous. It’s just barely getting through against Atlético’s five defenders. Midfielders look for wingers Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, but they are constantly faced with double coverage.
But in the 44th minute it finally worked: Gyökeres was sent deep after a run and gave a cross from the right, after which the ball ended up with Leandro Trossard. Atlético keeper Jan Oblak saves his shot well, but Buyako Saka shoots in the rebound.
No copy
For a moment it seems to be a copy of the first leg. Even then, Arsenal dominated before half time without getting any big chances and took the lead just before half time. Atlético was actually the better team in the second half.
But that’s not how things work out in London in the second half. There are more chances, but in the end Simeone’s team is unable to break through the wall of Arsenal defenders. Giuliano Simeone seemed to be on his way to making it 1-1 five minutes after the break, but he was stopped by the foot and a hand of William Saliba. Simeone is furious, just like his father on the sidelines, but he does not get a penalty.
Arsenal gets one more big chance, but Gyökeres only shoots a bouncing ball past goalkeeper Oblak. Yet Arteta was afterwards praising about him. “He was great. Every time he held the ball you saw the reaction of the crowd. His commitment, what he means to the team, is just incredible.”
Remarkably, Simeone changes playmaker Griezmann and top scorer Julian Álvarez in the 65th minute. Substitute Sørloth must provide extra defensive work. But in retrospect he will mainly be remembered for his missed opportunity just before the end.
It has been a wonderful week for Arsenal, who play minimalistically. On Monday evening, rivals in the Premier League Manchester City drew 3-3 against Everton, putting Arsenal’s title chances fully back in their own hands – it would be the first championship since 2004.
In the Champions League final in Budapest (May 30), Arsenal will play against PSG or Bayern Munich. But Arteta didn’t think about that after the match. “It’s a fantastic evening. To experience moments like this with our people, our players, everyone at the club, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
