In a gritty, hard-fought semi-final second leg, Arsenal punched their ticket to the Champions League final with a narrow 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, securing a 2-1 aggregate win. The Gunners now look ahead to a showdown in Budapest on May 30, where they'll face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain for European glory.

From the opening whistle, Diego Simeone's Atletico came out with fire in their eyes. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez linked up dangerously, forcing Arsenal's defense into early action. Gabriel Magalhaes had to snuff out a clean shot from Alvarez, while Declan Rice threw himself in front of a Giuliano Simeone effort after a brilliant Griezmann cross from the byline. The English media raised eyebrows as Atletico pressed high and hard, setting a physical tone that had the hosts on their heels.

But Arsenal weathered the storm and gradually took control of the half. The Gunners began to pin Atletico back, though clear chances remained scarce. Marcos Llorente and Matteo Ruggeri embodied Atletico's scrappy resilience, always getting a foot in just in time to snuff out danger. It was a chippy, high-intensity battle that felt like it could tip either way.

Then, in the dying moments of the first half, Arsenal struck. A rare break behind the Atletico backline sent Viktor Gyokeres charging down the right channel. Forced wide by Jan Oblak, Gyokeres lofted a cross to the far post, where Leandro Trossard's shot was parried by the keeper. But Bukayo Saka was alive to the rebound, nipping ahead of Ruggeri and David Hancko to tap home the crucial opener.

The second half followed a similar script, with Atletico emerging with renewed energy. Yet only Griezmann could force a save from David Raya. The moment that will haunt Atletico came when Giuliano Simeone, after a disastrous backwards header, rounded the Arsenal keeper but couldn't wrap his foot around the ball to finish under pressure from Gabriel. It was the kind of miss that defines semi-finals.

Both managers emptied their benches, making a combined eight substitutions in a frantic search for control, but Arsenal held firm. For the Gunners, it's a testament to their defensive grit and opportunistic finishing. For Atletico, it's another painful European exit where the margins were razor-thin.