Arsenal are now just 360 minutes from winning a famous double this season, after reaching the final of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League by beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) in the semifinals on Tuesday.
ARSENAL 1-0 (2-1 AGG.) ATLETI — Video highlights & recap
Below is the latest Mikel Arteta reaction, speaking after guiding Arsenal to its first Champions League final in 20 years (2006). Bukayo Saka scored the second leg’s only goal just before halftime and the Gunners defended for dear life down the stretch, setting up a May 31 date with either PSG or Bayern Munich (PSG lead 5-4 after the first leg). Arsenal have never lifted the Champions League trophy, and haven’t won the Premier League since since 2004 — now, they could do both, back-to-back, seven days apart.
Mikel Arteta reaction — What did Gunners boss say after Champions League semifinal win vs Atletico Madrid?
“It’s an amazing night to live this kind of moment with the players and everyone at the club. It’s an incredible feeling. It makes sense with all of the things we do and we go through. I see so many happy faces and proud of what we’re doing. It was unbelievable right from the beginning — the supporters waiting for us outside the stadium, the energy and passion that they put in. It was just great to win this.”
“It was very difficult to make certain decisions and I feel a lot for the boys. I know generally how good people they are. Some of them, I talked to them this afternoon and apologized and said, ‘I’m going to play the same team,’ and the reaction immediately was, ‘Boss, I’m here when you need me,’ and they gave me a hug.”
On Bukayo Saka scoring the winning goal: “It had to be someone very special and certainly he is very special with me and the boys and everyone attached with this club. If it had to be someone scoring that goal, it probably had to be him.”
Arsenal goal-scorer Bukayo Saka, on reaching the final
“You’re taking me away from the celebrations, man! It is so beautiful. You see what it means to us and what it means to the fans. … We’re so happy. Easier said than done. This game was a high-pressure game. It means a lot to both sides. We managed to manage it well, and take ourselves to the final. It started before the game when we were arriving on the coach. I have never seen anything like it.”
“There is no way you are going to come to this position and not have pressure. How can you not expect people to talk about you and criticize you? That’s why we have to block it out.”
“It is a beautiful story and I hope it ends well in Budapest.”
On scoring the winning goal: “Sometimes it bounces for you and sometimes it doesn’t, but you have to be there — and I was there. I got my goal.”
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, on what it means
“It is chaos [in the dressing room]. I don’t think you can underestimate what we have done in this competition up to this point. I think we have every right to celebrate that moment. The most prestigious competition in club football. We are just trying to soak it all in. We knew coming into the game what was at stake. If you can’t get up for that, then you can’t get up for any game of football. When we went 1-0 up, I knew we were going to win. I could feel something special building.”
“Where this club has come from over the last few years, [those are] things that hurt you as a player. The manager has taken full control. We have kept building, we kept pushing each other. This competition and the Premier League, we have gone full throttle. We have found ourselves in a good position with less than a month to go. Sunday now is a massive one.”
“We have kind of turned a corner again. We went through a stage where we weren’t performing at our best. We were a bit sloppy in our play, but we have found a new way to play again. When you have confidence in football, it is everything. I know everyone is focused.”
