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Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has explained how a poor decision from one of his stars against Real Madrid left him feeling like slapping the player.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta admits he would have slapped one of his players after a poor decision during their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
The Gunners carried a 3-0 first leg lead to the Bernabeu on Wednesday and after a goalless, but dramatic opening 45 minutes, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored either side of Vinicius Jr’s goal to win the return match 2-1 and the tie 5-1 on aggregate.
However, before getting there, Arsenal had a chance to take an early lead when Saka stepped up to take a penalty in the 13th minute.
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However, the academy graduate opted to take a Panenka which did not go so well as his effort was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal.
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Bukayo Saka Atoned For His Penalty Miss
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Saka went on to atone for his mistake with a well-taken goal in the 65th minute before Vinicius levelled two minutes later and Martinelli wrapped up the win deep in stoppage time.
After the match, Arteta could afford to joke about the match and explained how Saka’s decision to take a Panenka left him disappointed as the miss gave Madrid impetus although the Spanish giants could not take advantage.
“I would have liked to slap him. But the player has to make the decision, and he was bold enough to do it,” Arteta said after the game as per BBC Sport.
“That could have been a turning point emotionally in the game because it gave them a lot of belief. But then the way he handled the situation, and the way he played afterwards was incredible.”
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It sets up a mouth-watering semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain and Arteta has sent a warning to his former team ahead of another tough battle for a place in the final.
“I could feel the team, that we are ready to compete against anybody. And now we have to continue to do that because I think we have some momentum now,” he added.
Arsenal are into the semi-final for the first time since 2009, when they lost to Manchester United across two legs, but their victory over the record Champions League winners will give them confidence of going all the way and claiming a first European title in their history.
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