Mikel Arteta praised his side’s attitude as Arsenal secured a Champions League semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid, grinding [out a 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon](https://arseblog.news/2026/04/report-arsenal-0-0-sporting-2/) at the Emirates to progress 1-0 on aggregate.
The Gunners started brightly, their tempo unsettling the Portuguese champions early on, but the game soon slipped into a more familiar pattern. Possession was there, but the cutting edge in the final third was not.
Sporting offered little for long spells, yet carved out the two best chances of the night. Geny Catamo struck the post with a volley, while Araujo dragged an effort wide. At the other end, substitute Leandro Trossard saw a header from a deep corner come back off the woodwork before Arsenal saw things through.
At full-time, Arteta was quick to highlight the significance of the achievement, with the club reaching the semi-finals in consecutive seasons for the first time.
“It’s a massive moment,” he told _TNT Sports_. “It’s the first time in our history, 140 years, that we are in back-to-back semi-finals. To be part of those four teams is something very special.
“You have to earn it, you have to go through a lot of work. Big gratitude to the players.”
He continued: “We had moments in the first half when we should have scored and maintained momentum, especially when we were going to the final third, \[do\] much better. We allowed certain transitions, and they are dangerous.
“In the second half, again, with the ball, there are moments that at the moment we have to improve a lot to have more control and dominance and finish much more actions.
“But when you talk about behaviours, attitudes, habits, the team was outstanding on that, and that’s where it takes you through.”
He was also pleased with the way his side handled the closing stages, showing composure when it mattered most.
“The last 15-20 minutes, we controlled the game really well. We set ourselves in the final third, we looked composed, we controlled the transition very good, except for the last one, where we conceded a throw-in.
“But overall, obviously, it’s a great night. I’m very happy as well for all of our people.”
Having been criticised after the defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend, Arteta pointed to the response from his players in the days since.
“What I love is the ownership that the players took after their defeat here against Bournemouth.
“When they sit down together, they analyse it, they say things face-to-face, they act on it and then at the end you have to do it on the pitch.
“We all know, we can talk in the dressing room, we can talk beautiful things, but we need to put those words into action, and we said something like that tonight.”
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in Europe goes on, and with a double-header against a side they handled comfortably in the league phase, the prospect of a first Champions League final in 20 years feels very real. That can wait for now.
All eyes turn to Sunday and a potential title decider at the Etihad. Arsenal won’t care if it’s another scrap like tonight; they just need to come through it unscathed.