Arsenal secured a spot in the final of this season’s Champions League following a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at Emirates Stadium last night. The Gunners had played a 1-1 draw in the first-leg of the semi-final tie in Spain last week, and Mikel Arteta and his men got the job done on Tuesday night, winning 2-1 on aggregate. Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal was enough for Arsenal, and Atletico manager Diego Simeone was far from happy towards the end of the game.
Gunners’ sporting director Andrea Berta moved to the pitchside in the closing minutes of the game and urged the referee to blow the final whistle. However, Simeone was irked, marching over to the Arsenal chief to push him.
Berta and Simeone were very close at one time while the Arsenal director was still with Atletico. However, their relationship deteriorated as tensions simmered over recruitment decisions, and it was evident last night that there is no love lost between them. Football can get the emotions out of grown men and it was no different at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.