UCL: No team better than Arsenal as PSG beat the Gunners to reach final
Following Arsenal defeat in the hands of PSG in the Champions League Semi-Final clash, Arsenal Manager says “no team better than his team.”
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal were the best team in the in this season’s Champions League, despite their defeat t0 Paris St-Germain in the semi-final of the competition.
Arsenal travelled to France to face the Ligue 1 champions at the Parc des Princes for the second leg of their semi-final encounter.
The Gunners came into Paris in need of overturning one-goal deficit, conceded at home in the first leg to stage a final match, in Munich, against already finalists─Inter Milan.
UCL: No Team Better Than Arsenal ─ Arteta
But despite Arsenal’s ability to put up a good fight, created opportunities and chances, they could not get the ball pass PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who remained too big within the sticks for the French clubs in both home and away semi-final ties, until Bukayo Saka’s late goal.
Before Saka goal, Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakim had set the French Champions on their way to the final after both netted one goal apiece. The second-leg match ended 2-1 in favour of PSG, and 3-1 on aggregate.
“We were very close, much closer than the result showed, but unfortunately we are out,” said Arteta.
“I am very proud of the players, 100% I don’t think there’s been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen, but we are out.
“This competition is about the boxes and in both boxes are the strikers and the goalkeepers and theirs was the best in both games.”
Arsenal, having failed to reach the final of the competition since 2oo6─which they lost to Barcelona─the Arsenal boss disclosed that his team were left in tears in the dressing room after the loss.
He also revealed that he was “upset and so annoyed” as they could not turn around the tie in the second leg following their first-leg home loss to PSG.
UCL: No Team Better Than Arsenal ─ Arteta
The PSG boss, Luiz Enrque, when asked if he agreed with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on his side deserving to get to the final, instead of PSG, he said: “Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree at all,” he added.
“They played in a clever way and they got the match to the rightmoment for them because they played in the way they wanted, and the way they love.
“But in the two legs we scored more than them and that is the most important thing in football.
“Arsenal played a great match, and we suffered, but we deserved to get to the final. They are a great team, but I repeat, we scored more goals, we played in a great way in the first leg, and the second half of the second leg was a different match, and we could have scored even more goals.”
Arsenal looked to get to the final of the UEFA Champions League since 2006 (19 years).
The Gunners started the match excellently and, following Declan Rice’s close-range miss, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli forced PSG keeper, Donnarumma, into superb saves.
Saka also forced the keeper into another great save a few minutes into the second half and missed another close-range chance when the Gunners were 2-1 down as they finished the tie with an expected goal ratio of 3.14.
“When you analyse both games, who has been the best player? The MVP has been the same player, the goalkeeper,” added Arteta.
“And the Champions League is decided in the boxes and it’s won the game for them because obviously after 20 minutes, and what happened in London as well, the result should have been very different.
“So I can take a lot of positives and I’m very proud of the team. We have to arrive in the competition at this stage with the full squad, full available, in the best condition. We haven’t got that, so let’s put that aside.
“Still, the team that I’ve seen today is probably one of the best, if not the best team in Europe.
“It gives me so much pride, but at the same time I’m so upset, so annoyed that we didn’t manage to do it. I see how much they wanted it, because they were in tears. It hurts, but you have to deal with that.”
This loss meant that Arsenal will end the season trophyless for the fifth season in a row after Arteta won FA Cup vicotry in his first season at the club (2020)
The Gunners had also finished as runners-up in the last two seasons, sitting second also in the current English Premier League campaign.
Arteta when asked if his players will struggle will be inspired to try again following another disappointing season.
“With fear you cannot play football at the highest level. We had the best example in the [PSG] dressing room – Marquinhos, 11 times he’s tried in this club to be a winner, 11 times he’s the captain,” said Arteta.
“So that’s the truth and let’s see if they win it. So 11 times they have to go down and up.
“So look in the mirror at somebody like this with that trajectory and you want to be in the sport and you want to be competing and be very close to all the trophies. You better be able to deal with that.”
UCL: No Team Better Than Arsenal ─ Arteta
