Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak said Arsenal were the better side and deserved to be in the UEFA Champions League final following Tuesday’s clash at the Emirates.
Arsenal defeated Atletico 1-0 in the second leg of the semi-final to secure a 2-1 aggregate win. The result confirmed the Gunners’ spot in the competition’s final scheduled to take place in Budapest on May 30.
Speaking after the game, Oblak admitted that he was ‘disappointed’ with their exit and insisted that they did not do ‘enough’ to be in the final.
“I feel disappointed. We are disappointed as a team, we are sad. We didn’t do enough to be in the final,” he told CBS Sports. “I don’t have many words honestly. Not a good moment for us. Pretty difficult to accept. We had the opportunity; we didn’t do it, we didn’t win.”
When asked what was lacking in his team after saying they didn’t do enough, Oblak responded:
“I think in both games in the first half, we were not good enough. I think we had too much respect for Arsenal. We were afraid to play, but then in the second half we did better.”
Their UCL exit meant Oblak and co. will finish the season without silverware. Mikel Aretea’s side, on the other hand, ended a 20-year wait in reaching the final of Europe’s elite football competition and will look to win the trophy for the first time.
Diego Simeone says Arsenal ‘deserved to get through’ after Atletico’s UCL exit
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone echoed Oblak’s sentiments, saying Arsenal deserved to advance to the Champions League final. He stressed that the Gunners took their chances and added that his team were not clinical enough.
“If we got knocked out, it's because our opponents deserved to get through,” the Atleti boss said. They took their chances, including their big chance in the first half, and they deserved to get through. If you ask me how I feel: I feel calm and peaceful. The team gave absolutely everything. In the first leg, we could have won it in the second half, but we weren't clinical enough with the situations that we were in.
“We did well defensively in the first half, but not so well going forward - but we improved in that area. We had chances, things could have gone our way, but they didn't.”
Arsenal reached the UCL final, being the only unbeaten side in the competition this season. They are also the fifth English team to reach the final across the last eight seasons.