Despite losing to Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 to leave the Champions League in the semi-finals, Mikel Arteta expressed his pride in his Arsenal team. Ousmane Dembele’s goal in north London last Tuesday gave Luis Enrique’s team a slim lead, and the Gunners went to the French capital needing to win.
The Premier League powerhouses were ahead at the beginning of the match but were unable to convert any of their clear-cut opportunities. Fabian Ruiz’s deflected attempt from the edge of the penalty box put them behind. As the evening wore on, a completely rested PSG team began to establish greater control, making the task at hand much more difficult.
The right-back Achraf Hakimi then curled a beautiful effort into David Raya’s left-hand corner to put Arsenal out of the game. There was not enough time for Arteta’s team to mount a comeback, but Bukayo Saka gave the visitors a response to make the score 3-1 overall.
Mikel Arteta: ‘We Were Much Better Than Them’
Gunners boss proud of his players despite heartbreaking defeat
Arteta was not in the mood to provide a detailed analysis of his team’s performance right after the fact because the Spaniard was still dealing with the various emotions that came with losing. However, after the final whistle, the 43-year-old did share the “feedback” he received from the opposing bench, saying: “The feedback I got straight away from their bench was that we were much better than them.” Enrique and his staff should be very proud of the Parisiens’ dominating performances against Liverpool and Aston Villa at the Parc des Princes in the earlier knockout rounds, as that is a big compliment. Arteta continued by expressing the hurt he and his players felt after the loss: “But we are not there (in the final) and that has to hurt. If we want to win this competition and go there, we need to realise that there are certain things that are on us, and you shouldn’t just be understanding that we are out.”
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