Manager Mikel Arteta has etched his name into the record books after guiding Arsenal to consecutive Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
The milestone was achieved following the goalless draw against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, a result that secured a 1-0 aggregate victory.
The Gunners laid the foundation for qualification with a narrow first-leg triumph at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, where they defeated their Portuguese opponents by a single goal.
Arsenal produced a composed defensive performance to preserve their advantage in the reverse fixture to book a place in the final four of the Champions League.
Arteta is the first Arsenal manager to reach back-to-back semi-finals in the competition, a feat that underscores the club’s resurgence under his leadership.
Reflecting on the accomplishment during an interview with CBS Sports Golazo, Arteta acknowledged the significance of the milestone and the collective effort behind it.
“Well, it hasn’t been done in 140 years,” Arteta said. “That tells you the difficulty of that, the gratitude to all the players and everybody at the club.
“We have felt proud, and it wasn’t perfect. We still have a lot of things to do better. But, we are where we want to be – we have earned it. We made it there, and we are going to enjoy it.”
Arsenal have only reached the Champions League semi-finals on a handful of occasions.
Their first appearance came during the 2005/06 campaign, when they advanced to the final but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in Paris.
They returned to the semi-finals in the 2008/09 season and, more recently, in the 2024/2025 campaign.
Attention now turns to a high-stakes semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid, who eliminated Barcelona in their quarter-final tie.
With a place in the final at stake, Arsenal will be aiming to continue their impressive European run and move one step closer to securing their first-ever Champions League title.