Dreams do come true-at least for those who believed and never gave up.
Last week Tuesday's 2-1 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates had exposed and released the pent-up emotions of a big club that had always baulked and crumbled under the weight of its fans' expectations and dreams in recent years.
Arsenal seems to always take its foot off the throttle in crucial and decisive moments of the season, whether in the league, domestic cup competitions, or in Europe.
This hot and cold blowout was a major fear and setback that former player, Thierry Henry, revealed was troubling and had led to the criticism of the team three to four years ago in his post-match reaction on CBS Sports Golazo.
But, Tuesday's victory over the La-Liga side didn't only banish this fear but, released emotions within and outside the stadium as the manager, players and fans reveled and relished the feat.
'It is an incredible night, we made history again together. I can't be happier than everybody else in the club, the manner we got received outside the stadium was special and unique.'
'We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put in everything and did incredible job and after 20 years for the second time in our history we are back in the final', an excited Arteta told SkySports.
The electrifying atmosphere created by the fans at the stadium does not only amplify the connection they have with the players but, also laid credence to the shared belief and dream of making Tuesday's feat a historic and memorable one as Gunners' winger and scorer of the lone and winning goal, Bukayo Saka, told Amazon Prime Video Sport.
'The atmosphere before the game we hadn't seen anything like this, they pushed, pushed and pushed us and they got this moment and, we are celebrating this together', Saka revealed to Amazon Prime Video Sport.
It is a night to be remembered according to Henry, in an exultant mood.
'Tonight, it's been a journey, let's enjoy it. No treble now but, we have to finish well in the league and head to Budapest', he stated in his punditry role on CBS Sports Golazo.
These reactions coupled with the electrifying atmosphere the fans created sum up the expectations and long wait by the millions of the club faithful around the world.
They have continuously persevered and cling unto that dream of seeing their darling North London club secure a final spot and attempt at winning the coveted Champions League trophy twenty years after their first appearance in the final where they lost 2-1 to Ronaldinho-inspired Barcelona in Paris, May 2006.
The Battle For Greatness
And so, the Gunners went into their UEFA Champions League clash against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid side with one mission: Get the job done and secure a final spot in Budapest for the second time in the club's 139 year-old history.
After a positive and encouraging 1-1 draw away at Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg semi-final of Europe's biggest and most prestigious club football competition, Mikel Arteta's men knew or probably realized they can make history; write their names in the club's hall of fame.
It was a European night where history beckons and thus, the challenge was accepted.
And after 90 minutes of exhilarating football clash at the Emirates, England international, Bukayo Saka's 44th-minute rebound from a Leandro Trossard's shot was enough to send the Gunners through to the finals against French Giant and defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest, Hungary.
Champions League nights like this are the ones great or big clubs yearn for. Night stories are written and rewritten.
For those Arsenal fans that had followed the team's performance in the competition last season, the club's sterling display, this season wouldn't have caught them off guard.
The Gunners had performed strongly in the group phase with one of its peak performances being a 2-0 win over last year's winner and current champions, PSG and, a convincing 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the quarter-final which set up a semi-final clash with Luis Enrique's men that ended in a 3-1 aggregate defeat to the Ligue 1 giant and eventual winner.
Hence, their 14 games unbeaten run and nine clean sheets were no flukes. It was a testament and proof of Arteta's men's growth and winners' mindset.
'They did a professional job. They got the job done. I was impressed with the whole game', an emotional Henry stated in the CBS Sports Golazo studio.
Arsenal's Italian defender and Italy international, Riccardo Calafiori, was also in awe of what he and his teammates had achieved. He told Sky Sports, 'You can imagine it is something huge, it has been 20 years ago I think we deserve it.'
The French Opposition standing between Arsenal and Glory
The French giant has been obsessed with gate-crashing and usurping the order in European football since it was taken over in June 2011 by Qatar Sport investment led by Nasser Al-Khaleifi.
Since the French club came under their management, they have been dominant in the league, amassing 37 domestic trophies but always fell short in Europe. The quest for European glory had seen the management splashed €2.282 billion in players' transfer just to conquer Europe, according to The Athletic.
That outrageous amount had seen them starred an attacking trident line composed of former Barca star and Brazil international, Neymar, who joined for a world-record €222m transfer fee in 2017.
He was followed by Kylian Mbappe, whose loan from Monaco was made permanent in a mouthwatering €180m deal with the acquisition of Argentine star and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi from Barcelona in 2021 on a two-year deal, completing the dream attack of the planet's finest players.
This dream attacking trio couldn't break the UCL hoodoo for the Parisiens.
Fast forward to 2025 — the year when the stars aligned for the club in Europe — Luis Enrique recalibrated his team. Enrique had dismantled the old guard of the three musketeers and went for a blend of youthful talent and experience.
The quartet of Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia effortlessly stepped into the huge void left behind by the exit of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe and going all the way to do the unthinkable: which was winning the UCL against Inter Milan in Munich, Germany.
It is this formidable foe, still hungry for success that the English side are going up against in their bid to win their first ever Champions League trophy. The team that even Henry confesses that Gunners are the underdogs going into the final, CBS Sports Golazo reported.
Enrique's men who are defending their title — making it the second club after Real Madrid in the Champions League era to successfully defend its title — stand between Arsenal's quest for UCL glory.
Can Arsenal Cross The Finishing Line?
That is the million-dollar question on the lips of the club's fans. The fear of stuttering when it matters most still lurks.
Their capitulation to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final in March and an April defeat away to Pep Guardiola's men in a crucial tie in the league race scuttled their quadruple dream and also gave the Citizens the momentum that kept them in the race as the league enters its last stretch.
While City's slip at Everton might have handed Arteta's men the advantage in the race for the title, it is however an entirely different terrain or situation in Europe. The Budapest final is a one-off clash. It is a game of 90 minutes that will decide which team's name will be written in the stars.
Arteta's men are on the cusp of glory. They are just one match away from actualizing a dream that many had longed and patiently waited for to manifest.
Just like former Man city defender Micah Richard said in his post-match reaction on CBS Sports Golazo after the Gunners' win over Atletico, 'They know how to defend, how to get over the line. It is just that last step now but they deserve all the credit.'
It's just the last step, the final stretch in Budapest for this Gunners team of 2025/26 to end the champions league nightmare and make history come 30th of May.
