A week after a draw in Madrid (1-1), Arsenal won on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium against a valiant Atlético Madrid team who saw their dream of playing in a fourth Champions League final disappear.

Published on: 05/05/2026 - 22:54 Modified on: 05/05/2026 - 23:01

Indecisive, bitter and intense. As in the first leg, it is less the spectacle that we will remember from this meeting than the self-sacrifice of two teams who have made the art of defending their main asset. And in this little game, it was Arsenal who ended up getting the better of Atlético Madrid on Tuesday May 5 at the Emirates Stadium to try their luck in the Champions League final.

At home, it is first the Gunners who try to set their pace in this semi-final. But if Arteta's men confiscate the ball, possession often proves sterile. Opposite, Atletico are uncompromising in their high pressing, like a starving Griezmann who dispossesses Eze of the ball but is penalized for a foul (6').

Under the eyes of a still-agitated Diego Simeone along the touchline, the Colchoneros do better than defend. In this first quarter of an hour, they even create the most dangerous chances through Guiliano Simeone, the son of Atletico's emblematic coach: launched by Griezmann, the young Italian-Argentinian striker misses the target (8') then stumbles against the defense on a dangerous cross from behind (11').

While Arsenal is struggling to get the ball out, revolt is brewing in the ranks of the Gunners who maintain control of the ball but lack the creativity to break the Madrid barrier.

The first alert comes from a powerful strike at the edge of the area from Brazilian central defender Gabriel who darts to the left of Oblak's cage (19').

Faced with the discipline of Madrid's defenders, Arsenal is patient and hot situations multiply: after a combination on a corner, Lewis-Skelly, the 19-year-old full-back, crosses but the ball passes in front of everyone, brushing the Madrid goalkeeper's glove in the process.

At the forefront, Viktor Gyökeres tries to weigh on the opposing defense but has a lot to do, as in this action where the Swedish striker ends up losing the ball against three Atletico defenders (40')

Through errors and attempts, the Gunners, increasingly technically comfortable, ended up finding the fault just before the break: Trossard inherited a cross, delayed then fired into the area, forcing Oblak to relax but Saka appeared in front of Le Normand to send the ball into the back of the net. A logical outcome after a second part of the first half better controlled by Arsenal.

Atletico on the attack

Forced to come back to score, Antoine Griezmann's teammates showed themselves to be more enterprising on the attacking front after returning from the locker room.

Starting on the edge of offside, Alavrez took advantage of a defense error to eliminate David Raya with a juggle but was caught by the patrol. Gabriel saves his team regularly despite the protests of the Colchoneros who demand a penalty (51').

Atlético Madrid attack again with a strike in the area from former French international Antoine Griezmann repelled by the Gunners goalkeeper. In the process, the "Little Prince" was hit in the area but the referee whistled for a previous foul committed on an Arsenal player.

The English, too, excel in the art of defense. In the Champions League this season, the Londoners have only conceded six goals in 13 games, counting the two against the Kazakhs of Kaïrat Almaty (3-2) on a day when the holders were resting.

Also read: Champions League: what if Griezmann's last match with Atlético was a final?

It is now the Colchoneros who are trying to play the game while Arsenal are waiting for a misstep from their opponent to plant a second banderilla. Gyokeres came within a hair's breadth of achieving it but his recovery from the penalty point went over Oblak's cage (66').

Players from both teams throw themselves headlong into the battle. The intensity goes up a notch. Diego Simeone's men did everything to come back into the score but without success, like this shot from Llorente, too weak to worry David Raya (80'), or this attempt from Alexander Sorloth in the area (86').

The score will stay there. By obtaining its ticket for the final against the winner of the return match between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal confirms its magnificent season while the London club is well placed to win the Premier League title, 22 years after the last one in 2004.

On the other hand, the disillusionment is enormous for Atlético who dreamed of a fourth Champions League final (after 1974, 2014 and 2016), a third with Simeone on the bench and a second with "Grizou" on the pitch.

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