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.
Diego Simeone went for Andrea Berta, his former Atletico colleague, on the touchline in the final seconds of the game. Berta was pitchside, urging the referee to blow the whistle. Simeone marched over to him and tried to push him away.
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) May 5, 2026
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.
The Gunners last played in the final of the elite European competition in 2006, and they will be desperate to go one better this time around after losing to a Ronaldinho-inspired Barcelona at the time.
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