{"id":50155,"date":"2025-05-08T04:58:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T03:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=50155"},"modified":"2025-05-08T04:58:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T03:58:45","slug":"arsenal-100-the-best-team-in-champions-league-this-season-mikel-arteta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/arsenal-100-the-best-team-in-champions-league-this-season-mikel-arteta\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal 100% the Best Team in Champions League This Season: Mikel Arteta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite losing the Champions League semi-final, Mikel Arteta remained defiant in the face of disappointment. Arsenal bowed out of the tournament on Wednesday, losing 2-1 on the night<\/a> and 3-1 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain. The result ended the Gunners’ hopes of reaching their first Champions League final since 2006, but Arteta firmly believed that his side were still ‘the best team in the competition’.<\/p>

Arsenal had gone into the second leg at the Parc des Princes trailing 1-0 after a first-leg defeat at the Emirates. Arteta’s men started the second-leg brightly. Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into smart saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard early on, with Bukayo Saka also drawing an excellent stop from the Italian keeper after the break.<\/p>

PSG, however, proved clinical when it mattered. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring with a powerful strike before Achraf Hakimi doubled the advantage. David Raya had earlier given Arsenal a lifeline by saving Vitinha’s penalty, and Saka’s late goal offered hope. But despite an expected goals (xG) of 3.14, far superior to PSG’s 1.74, Arsenal couldn’t convert their pressure into a comeback.<\/p>

Speaking after the match, Arteta said,<\/p>

\n

“When you look at the two games their best player on the pitch has been the goalkeeper, he has been the difference for them in the tie.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We were very close, much closer than the result showed, but unfortunately we are out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am very proud of the players, 100% I don’t think there’s been a better team [than Arsenal] in the competition from what I have seen.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>

\n

\"We're much better than them. You look at the two games… the best player on the pitch has been their goalkeeper.\"

Mikel Arteta didn’t hold back in his post-match take 😳 pic.twitter.com\/aeHP94TvRt<\/a><\/p>— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 7, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>