Arsenal’s road to the Champions League final – Raya heroics, Martinelli madness & historic Saka

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Arsenal's road to the Champions League final - Raya heroics, Martinelli madness & historic Saka

Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday evening. Their journey to what is just their second final in the competition in their 140 year history.

Mikel Arteta has taken his club on quite the journey through the eight league phase games and six legs of the knockout rounds. Across all 14 matches his side have not been beaten once.

From big wins over big teams to grinding out the results which have taken them through to this historic final, Arteta’s side have shown it all. Big goals from some of their most important players got them here, with some big David Raya saves along the way.

As a result, football.london have looked back on all the games that have led them here:

Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal

Smash and Gab – Mikel Arteta’s two late changes, bringing on Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, secured the win with two late goals. Both scoring and assisting one another – a sign of the depth now available to The Gunners.

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Saka seals the six – Martinelli was at it again, tapping in after Viktor Gyokeres’ strike hit the post before David Raya was called into a brilliant save by Daniel Podence. Bukayo Saka, off the left, smashed a shot, nutmegging the keeper to secure the points, six from six.

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Gyokeres grabs glory – Billed as the big test of the league phase, but the Gunners made light work of their future semi-final opponents with Gabriel Magalhaes, Martinelli and a Gyokeres brace sending La Rojiblancos packing and humbled.

Slavia Praha 0-3 Arsenal

Record-breaking Reds rule Prague – The Gunners equalled a 123-year record after securing an eighth successive clean sheet. A Saka penalty and a double from makeshift striker Mikel Merino gave Mikel Arteta’s side a big win on the road.

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Serious statement sent – After years of humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich, the Gunners finally dealt a blow to their German rivals. Jurrien Timber continued the set-piece success before Noni Madueke volleyed in a brilliant Riccardo Calafiori cross, which preceded another Martinelli masterful run past Manuel Neuer to score the third.

Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal

Madueke’s Mad Moment – Noni Madueke took centre stage in Brugge after he broke the deadlock with one of the goals of the season from range. Gabriel Martinelli added a strike of his own from outside the box, too, as his European form continued.

Inter Milan 1-3 Arsenal

Serious in the San Siro – The Gunners had beaten Atletico Madrid, but travelling to one of last season’s finalists, scoring three times and cementing their place atop the league phase tree sent a message out across the continent. But Gabriel Jesus’ brace was the highlight and perhaps of his entire season.

Arsenal 3-2 Kairat Almaty

Cool, calm, and Kai – The German international, who recently returned from injury, was starting to show immediately what Arsenal had been missing. Now in contention for a starting spot in the final, his finish against the Kazakh side would beat any keeper, including PSG’s.

Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal

Havertz haunts Bayer Arena – Back at his former club, it was Kai Havertz’s late penalty which secured a vital away draw in the last-16 clash with Bayer Leverkusen. Beaten at their own game from a corner, the Bundesliga side were one of just two teams to hold Arsenal to a draw in Europe this season.

Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Makes it look Eze – What will go down as many supporters’ goal of the season, Eberechi Eze’s volley from outside the box helped secure passage to a third straight quarter-final for just the second time in the club’s history.

Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal

Heartbreak courtesy of Kai – Despite taking something of a pounding, relying on David Raya’s heroics, a late cool finish from Kai Havertz in added time secured a vital win, and what would prove the winning goal of the tie.

Arsenal 0-0 Sporting CP

Stalemate settles Sporting – It was not a classic affair, and neither team created many big chances; if anything, the Portuguese champions came closest themselves in stoppage time, but an eighth clean sheet in the competition this season was always enough to take them to a second successive semi-final.

Atletico Madrid 1-1 Arsenal

A tale of three penalties – Had Arsenal not made it to the final, the incidents involving Ben White, which earned Atletico Madrid a penalty and Eberechi Eze, which saw a penalty call overturned by VAR, would have been the talk of the Gunners’ tournament. Thankfully, despite the angst, Viktor Gyokeres’ own spot kick earned a valuable draw.

Arsenal 1-0 Atletico Madrid

It had to be Bukayo – If there was one man to send Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side to a Champions League final, it had to be Bukayo Saka. Leandro Trossard, who has hit form at the perfect time, had the shot which led to the rebound finally falling at the Hale End graduate’s feet, whose goal would send Arsenal to Budapest for a shot at the ultimate club trophy.

admin-cdn1 hour ago

0 1 3 minutes read