After their draw against Arsenal (1-1), Antoine Griezmann's Colchoneros are on the verge of the Champions League final. If Atlético Madrid manages to defeat the Gunners at home, the world champion's teammates could go to the final and hope to offer him the last collective title that is missing from his record: a C1.

Published on: 05/05/2026 - 07:03

Few football players have had this opportunity: to end a European career in a Champions League final. The Frenchman Antoine Griezmann is only one match away from making this dream come true, before heading off to sunny Florida with Orlando in an American championship often considered by European football as a league for pre-retirees. The kid from Mâcon will try on Tuesday, May 5, in the semi-final return (1-1 in the first leg), to seek the big-eared cup with his favorite club.

But there remains an obstacle, and not the least important one. The 35-year-old striker and his teammates will have to subdue Arsenal, Mikel Arteta version. An ultra-grouped squad, the most effective defense in the Champions League and the Premier League, under the orders of the Basque strategist. The Gunners will have to be shaken up on Tuesday and besieged the citadel to hope to win the precious ticket to the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.

Read alsoThe Lyonnes in the final, Pogacar walks, Antonelli on a cloud: sports news from the weekend

Not easy when you yourself offer football that is not very forward-oriented. Short passes, little risk-taking, players who stay behind the ball: Diego Simeone is known for offering a very defensive game, nicknamed "Cholo-taka". His tactics are sometimes even described as “haramball” (illegal game, in Arabic) by his detractors, who see it as anti-football. In this system, Antoine Griezmann has a key role: the tricolor must drive the perpetual movement and allow the opposing team to be sucked in to better punish them on the counter-attack.

Discipline and self-sacrifice

During the semi-final first leg, at home, Simeone's men conceded a goal just before half-time. Swedish international Viktor Gyökeres, in good form at the moment, won a penalty, then converted it in the 44th minute. Without panicking, Atléti came back to score, again on a penalty, this time on a cannonball from Julian Alvarez in the 56th minute.

The French striker was once again decisive, hitting the bar and contributing to the shock of the Rojiblancos after returning from the locker room. It is Griezmann, obviously, who is the passer on the action which gives rise to the penalty. The match was then completely closed.

Several teams showed that the wall of Arteta's men was not impenetrable, that his game, in certain aspects similar to that of Simeone, had limits. Starting with its runner-up and main rival in the Premier League, Manchester City, who beat it two weeks ago, taking an option on the English title in the process. First on a dazzling performance from Rayan Cherki, then on a real fox-like performance from Erling Haaland. On both goals, Arsenal were punished by well-executed collective actions.

See also PSG - Bayern and Arsenal - Atlético: a clash of styles before the return matches

"Arsenal are favorites with the advantage of the return match at home", however, reminds our consultant Xavier Barret on France 24. "I am a little disappointed at the moment by what Arsenal are offering. I believe they have been weighed down by the number of injuries and the poor form of certain players", puts Cameroonian international Benjamin Moukandjo into perspective, while not questioning the status of favorites of the Gunners.

Man of the match

“Grizou”, conductor of the Colchoneros, had already been named man of the match during the semi-final first leg for his multiple strokes of genius. He will have to reproduce this performance, or even transcend it, to give the Colchoneros a chance.

During an interview given to the website of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) ahead of the first confrontation and as he prepares to retire from Europe, Antoine Griezmann declared his love for Atlético and explained that a triumph in this competition which resists the Madrilenians, those of the Estadio Metropolitano, would, according to him, heal "a very deep wound": "The only way to get over it would be to win it this year."

See alsoFootball: Antoine Griezmann announces his international retirement at 33

Regarding his favorite club, which saw him blossom and to which he returned after a stint at FC Barcelona, ​​the “Little Prince” is full of praise: “The word would be something that goes well beyond love.” “The love for the club colors, the club crest and the love of football, because the fans love football, and the love of hard work – I think that's why I quickly bonded with the club and its fans,” he continues.

“Suffer, believe, win”

At Atléti, one man has complete confidence in Grizou, the converse being just as true: Diego Simeone, at the helm since 2011 and who has made the Frenchman the centerpiece of his game. "I think that at the end of the day, he gave me everything and I gave everything to him," agrees the international.

And he will have to start once again, then one last time, to "give everything", with a touch of madness added, to hope to ward off fate and break a curse, Atléti having stumbled three times on the last step (during the finals of 1974, 2014 and 2016).

The strategy is the same for the match in London, according to Grizou: "We have to work well tactically. We adjusted two or three things at half-time for our pressure, especially on the left, and that did us good because we went in with another attitude, another pressure. So we have to keep this second half and do the same there."

“Suffer, believe, win”, headlined the Spanish sports daily Marca during the national coronation of Simeone’s men in 2021. A slogan that remained in people’s minds in Madrid.

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.