Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in the second-leg of their semi-final, but Wayne Rooney was not impressed by the celebrations
Wayne Rooney has slammed Arsenal for going overboard with their celebrations after they beat Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final. The Gunners booked their place in the showpiece in Budapest by defeating Diego Simeone’s team 1-0.
Bukayo Saka’s instinctive strike from a rebound proved sufficient to seal a 2-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals. After Mikel Arteta’s men dug in to preserve their narrow advantage, the Emirates Stadium erupted in a surge of celebration and raw emotion.
Arsenal players, coaching staff and backroom team flooded onto the pitch and embraced, while the ground exploded into wild scenes of joy. While the moments were spine-tingling enough to give you goosebumps, the former England skipper wasn’t impressed.
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Speaking on Amazon Prime, Rooney, beginning with Saka, said: “I thought he was very good tonight. I thought Arsenal tonight were very efficient in their performance,” reports Football London.
“They got the goal and defensively, I thought they were brilliant, the two central defenders were excellent. They deserved it, they’ve played well all season, in the Premier League and the Champions League, they deserve to be in this position.”
As the cameras kept cutting to ecstatic Arsenal fans and players, Rooney then took a swipe: “They haven’t won it yet. I think the celebrations are a little bit too heavy. Celebrate when you win…but no, they deserve it.”
It’s plausible that Rooney, a Champions League winner who reached three finals in his career, was being somewhat facetious with his remark. Regardless, even if his comment was broadcast over the speaker system, it wouldn’t have dampened the festive atmosphere in north London.
Tonight marked the first time Arsenal have made it to the Champions League final since the 2006 spectacle. They suffered a heart-wrenching 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Paris final, two decades ago.
Gunners supporters might still be haunted by memories of Thierry Henry firing a close-range shot straight at Victor Valdes. They may also recall Juliano Belletti sprinting down the right and sliding a low shot off the inside of Manuel Almunia’s leg and into the goal.
Last season, the Gunners were knocked out by PSG in the semi-final, who went on to clinch the title by thrashing Inter Milan 5-0. They could potentially face Luis Enrique’s team in the final.
They currently hold a slim 5-4 advantage over Bayern Munich, with Vincent Kompany’s side set to host the reigning European champions in the second-leg on Wednesday evening.
Somehow, Arteta’s squad will need to put their celebrations on hold and refocus on the Premier League.
The Gunners’ week began with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dropping two points against Everton in a 3-3 draw on Merseyside. Arsenal are heading to east London for a crucial match against West Ham United.