This has blown me away. Hollywood couldn’t create a scene like it. The most lied about players, manager and fanbase. Everybody deserves this day.
Including those losers who are probably readying their “cringe” and “performative” Arsenal tweets 😂
Good luck trying to break Arsenal fan heart man, kami dapet EPL aja udah seneng
Urusan UCL ya dapet tambah seneng, gak dapet juga tetep happy udah punya EPL
😎
Hand on heart, I dont feel sad at all. Im so fucking proud of this group. Won us a PL after 22 years and took us to a UCL final. Kings who will be remembered forever. 99% of Europe would want our season.
Thank you Mikel and Thank you Arsenal.
I recognise my football club again.
Arsenal drew 0-0 tonight at the Emirates and most people will have found it boring. I think those people missed the point.
I find it interesting that Arsenal kept a clean sheet, protected their aggregate lead, and are in the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season.
But the story is not just about tonight. In 11 Champions League matches this season, Arsenal have conceded just 5 goals and kept 7 clean sheets in the most competitive club tournament in the world.
That doesn't sound boring to me. It sounds like the foundation of something. If you doubt me, check the stats.
Arsenal's Champions League results under Arteta since returning in 2023:
23/24, Quarter-final vs Bayern Munich: Drew 1st leg 2-2, lost 2nd leg 0-1. ❌
24/25, Semi-final vs PSG: Lost 1st leg 0-1, lost 2nd leg 1-2. ❌
25/26, Quarter-final vs Sporting CP: Won 1st leg 1-0, drew 2nd leg 0-0. ✅ Semi-finals
Three seasons back in the competition. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, semi-finals again. The progress is obvious.
But here is what makes this Arsenal side genuinely different from the version that used to exit this competition with its head bowed. The numbers at the back. In this season's Champions League, Arsenal have played 11 matches, conceded just 5 goals, and kept 7 clean sheets. That is a clean sheet in nearly two out of every three games in the most competitive club tournament on the planet.
Barcelona, for comparison, have conceded 45 goals in the same competition over the past two seasons and have not kept a clean sheet in 14 consecutive Champions League matches.
Arsenal did not win tonight. They did not need to. They kept the ball, kept their shape, kept Sporting CP at arm's length, and kept a clean sheet at home for the sixth time in this campaign. The 0-0 was not a performance that will be remembered. The semi-final place it earned will be. And that is history for you. It doesn't care about nuance.
Arteta has never won the Champions League. He has never been to the final. But he has taken a club that spent six years out of this competition entirely and quietly rebuilt it into one of the four best teams in Europe. That is not nothing. That is the foundation of something.
My name is Ajoje. I am a FIFA Licensed Agent and International Sports Lawyer. I write on the Law and Business of Football, a lot. Repost and Follow if you want to read more posts like this.