Champions League winner Wesley Sneijder has showered praises on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as he guided the Gunners to their first UCL final in 2 decades after a 2-1 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium, Bukayo Saka gave the North London side the lead at the stroke of half-time. He scored from a rebound after Jan Oblak parried Leandro Trossard’s shot into the England winger’s path. This solitary goal proved to be decisive as it helped the Gunners progress into the UCL final in Budapest.
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Speaking after the game to Ziggo Sport, Wesley Sneijder took a swipe at the Premier League leaders, but was full of praise for Mikel Arteta. He said:
“I looked at the players again, and Arteta already deserves a statue,’ Sneijder said at full-time.
‘He simply doesn’t have any top players, and with the current squad, he manages to push Atletico back, which is impressive.”
During the game, Sneijder was quick to call out the quality of the game between the two sides and jokingly added:
“I said after 35 minutes, UEFA must intervene, They need to call London: both teams off the pitch, and tomorrow the final will be played between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
‘I knew this would happen, Atletico dropped back and gave away possession, and Arsenal had a lot of control over the ball.”
Despite Sneijder’s criticism, Arsenal can look forward to the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest where they go in as the only unbeaten side in the tournament this season. The Gunners have conceded just 6 goals in 14 matches enroute the final where they will face the winner of the Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint-Germain clash.
Mikel Arteta reacts as Arsenal reach UEFA Champions League final
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed the Gunners supporters for the role they played in helping the North London giants get over the line against Atletico Madrid. He said(via SABC Sport):
“It’s an incredible night. We made history again together. I cannot be happier and prouder of everyone involved in this football club,” said Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
“The manner that we got to see outside the stadium was special and unique. The atmosphere that our supporters created, the energy, the way they lived every ball with us, it made it special and unique.
“I never felt that in the stadium. We knew how much it meant to everybody. We put everything in, the boys did an incredible job.
“After 20 years and for the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”
Edited by Vignesh Raja