Arsenal players celebrate their victory over Atletico Madrid. (Image: Getty Images)
Former Champions League winner Wesley Sneijder has jokingly suggested that UEFA should “intervene” to prevent Arsenal from qualifying for the final. The Gunners defeated Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals on Tuesday night to qualify for the final, scheduled to be played in Budapest on May 30th.
Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the match at the Emirates, which proved to be enough for Arsenal to secure a 2-1 aggregate win against Atletico. Arsenal will have their eyes set on the final later this month, where either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will stand in their way.
The second leg of the remaining semi-final sees Bayern host PSG at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, with the visitors holding a 5-4 advantage heading into a draw.
Arsenal’s decisive goal came in the 44th minute, just before the interval. It was moments after the final whistle that Sneijder was left furious at the display from both teams in north London.
The former Inter Milan stalwart and Dutch international went further by suggesting that the second leg between PSG and Bayern Munich deserves to be considered a genuine Champions League final.
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“I said after 35 minutes that UEFA had to intervene,” Sneijder told Ziggo Sport.
“They have to make a call to London. Both teams have been sent off the pitch and tomorrow’s final will be played between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
“We knew this was going to happen, but Atletico went down and lost the ball and Arsenal had a lot of control of the ball.”
Sneijder went on to praise Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta for their achievements in reaching the final. This is the first time the Gunners have been in the spotlight in this competition since losing to Barcelona in 2006.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager (Image: Getty Images)
“I looked at the players again and Arteta already deserves a statue,” Sneijder said.
“He just doesn’t have the top players, but with the team he has now he’s been able to push Atletico back, which is great.”
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Arteta reflected on the win over Atletico and the emotions he felt as the Gunners remained unbeaten in all competitions and booked their place in the final.
“Yes, because we know how difficult and challenging opponents at this level are,” Arteta said.
“Atlético, they are a great team. The way they fight, the solutions they have, the answers to everything they try to do immediately against them are incredible.
“The reason they’re there is because they’ve done a great job there. And the difference is very small. And they’re going to get us tonight.”
