Arsenal reach first Champions League Final since 2006, set up Budapest showdown

By Johnson Arua

Arsenal have booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in two decades after edging Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in their semi-final clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Bukayo Saka’s decisive 67th-minute strike sealed the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid.

The result marks only the second time the North London club will feature in Europe’s biggest club final, their last appearance coming in 2006.

Roared on by a sold-out home crowd, Arsenal displayed composure and discipline to overcome a resilient Atletico side, continuing an impressive European campaign that has seen them go unbeaten in 14 matches — a new club record.

The achievement represents a major milestone in Arteta’s five-year rebuilding project, restoring Arsenal’s status among Europe’s elite after years of inconsistency and a four-season absence from the competition between 2017 and 2023.

Arsenal’s previous final remains a painful memory. In 2006, they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Paris despite taking the lead through Sol Campbell. A first-half red card to goalkeeper Jens Lehmann proved decisive, as the Spanish side staged a late comeback.

In the years that followed, Arsenal were regular participants in the Champions League but repeatedly fell short in the knockout stages, often against European heavyweights such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AC Milan. More recently, they reached the semi-finals last season but were eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

This season, however, has signaled a shift. Arsenal progressed past Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP in the earlier rounds, demonstrating defensive solidity and tactical maturity.

Their semi-final encounter with Atletico Madrid was fiercely contested, with the first leg featuring three penalties and VAR controversy.

Returning to the Emirates for the decisive second leg, Arsenal held their nerve, with Saka’s goal ultimately proving the difference.

They will now face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final scheduled for May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, as they aim to secure their first-ever Champions League title and end a 20-year wait for European glory.