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MIKEL ARTETA emphasized that Arsenal emerged as the leading team in the Champions League and asserts they are “superior” to PSG, even after their defeat.
The Gunners were eliminated in the semi-finals with a 3-1 aggregate score, regretting their missed opportunities.
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PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made several pivotal saves, while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka failed to capitalize on significant chances.
In the aftermath, an emotional Arteta commented: “First, I want to congratulate PSG on making it to the final.
“I will evaluate our performance after I’ve had some time to reflect, but the immediate reaction from their side was that we were the better team.
“If you look at both matches, their key player was the goalkeeper. He truly changed the dynamics of this tie.
“We were very close, much closer than the final scores indicate, but unfortunately, we are out of the competition.”
“I’m immensely proud of our players for their efforts today, the way we started, and how we dealt with the pressure; it should have been 3-0 after the first 20 minutes.
“However, there’s always that extra element needed in these tournaments that eluded us.”
When asked about the team’s growth, Arteta replied: “Absolutely, I wouldn’t argue that any team has performed better in this competition up to now.
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“Even though we were eliminated tonight, we earned more from both matches than the results show.
“This competition is defined by key moments, with strikers and a goalkeeper who was their standout performer across both games.”
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Arteta added: “I’m frustrated. We were very close in both matches; we outperformed them considerably.”
“However, we’re not moving forward, and that should hurt. If we want to win this competition, we need to understand that there are issues we need to address.
“It’s not enough to simply accept our exit. That’s not my view.”
Rice echoed this sentiment, stating: “It’s heartbreaking. We started incredibly strong. If we had converted any of those chances, it could have dramatically changed the match.
“Just minor errors on our part were responsible for their two goals.”
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Arsenal ratings v PSG
ARSENAL’S Champions League hopes were dashed as they were unable to get the better of Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.
The Gunners started with vigor, putting Gianluigi Donnarumma to the test early on, but it was clear from the outset that it might not be their evening. This eventually proved to be accurate.
Despite the early pressure, Arsenal fell behind after a volley from Fabian Ruiz.
Achraf Hakimi then added a punishing second goal right after David Raya saved a penalty from Vitinha, keeping Arsenal in contention.
Eventually, Bukayo Saka, after being thwarted multiple times by Donnarumma, found the back of the net in the 76th minute, seizing on a deflected cross to round the keeper and score.
After reducing the deficit, Saka had a golden chance to equalize while unmarked in the middle with an open goal ahead of him.
Unfortunately, he misdirected his attempt, watching the ball soar over the bar.
PSG managed to control the remainder of the match, securing their place in the Munich final against Inter Milan.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the Gunners in Paris.
“It felt as if fate was against us. Over the two matches, we could have scored three or four goals; their goalkeeper was exceptional.
“Sometimes life needs us to experience setbacks to grow. We’re developing as a team, and we need to keep going.
“While PSG moves forward, this will not define us.
“When our players recover from injury, we will be a much stronger side. We’ve navigated the complete season without five or six key players.
“We gave it everything we had. The belief was tangible from the first whistle; on another night, we could have scored two or three. We created chances but couldn’t convert, which is a harsh reality.”
“We truly wanted this win, but our determination remains. We play football to succeed; winning trophies is our goal, yet for reasons unknown, it hasn’t been our destiny for the past two years.
“We came very close; this isn’t adequate, Arsenal should be lifting trophies.
“It stings for both the players and the coach; it’s a bitter pill to swallow. We wanted to be in Munich.”
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