Arteta's Arsenal vow to rise from 'tearful' Champions League exit
Mikel Arteta described his Arsenal squad as "in tears" following their Champions League semi-final ousting by Paris Saint-Germain. Despite the profound heartbreak, Arteta firmly maintained his team showcased superiority for significant portions of the two-legged tie, ultimately suggesting that exceptional goalkeeping by the opposition proved the decisive factor in a contest of agonizingly fine margins.
Despite the defeat, a defiant Mikel Arteta expressed pride, asserting Arsenal's superiority "especially across 160 minutes" of the semi-final, a view he hinted PSG’s bench privately shared. He identified PSG’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, as the pivotal difference. "When you analyse both games...the MVP, has been the goalkeeper," Arteta stated. "The Champions League is decided in the boxes and it’s won the game for them."
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In Paris, Arsenal started brightly, with Martin Ødegaard denied by a brilliant early Donnarumma save. However, PSG goals from Fabián Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi – the second after David Raya saved a Vitinha penalty – built a 3-0 aggregate lead. Bukayo Saka scored for Arsenal, injecting hope, and had a crucial late chance to further narrow the gap. But another outstanding Donnarumma save ultimately sealed Arsenal’s fate, highlighting the fine margins.
"The result should have been very different," Arteta lamented, his pride in the performance clashing with intense disappointment. "I’m so upset... we didn’t manage to do it.” This European exit will sting, echoing their 2006 final loss in Paris. Arsenal must now quickly refocus on their remaining Premier League matches to secure Champions League football for the next campaign, a crucial objective for the club's ambitions.
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The 2020 FA Cup is Arsenal's latest trophy, but Arteta saw the players' tearful reaction to this European loss as proof of their profound desire. "Today I see how much they want it," he affirmed. He stressed their significant progress: "Two years ago, nobody believed we could even probably qualify for the Champions League...
Perhaps the amount of points that we had in any other year, you are champions." This raw disappointment, he implied, underscores their elevated standards and the valuable prizes they now contend for.
Conversely, PSG manager Luis Enrique, whose side overcame three Premier League teams to reach the final against Internazionale, offered a blunt disagreement. "In the two legs we scored more goals... that is the most important thing in football. We deserve to be in the final," he declared.
