Mikel Arteta joked he wanted to “slap” Bukayo Saka after his early penalty miss against Real Madrid but praised the winger’s quick recovery in Arsenal’s dramatic 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.
Leading 3-0 from the first leg, Arsenal had a chance to strike early in the return leg when awarded a 13th-minute penalty. But Saka’s chipped Panenka was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.
“I didn’t want to die but maybe I wanted to slap him,” Arteta said.
“He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it and he missed. I was more concerned about the emotional part. What it could do for us.”
Saka soon made up for it, however, giving Arsenal the lead with a composed lofted finish after a pass from Mikel Merino.
Real Madrid hit back two minutes later through Vinicius Jr, capitalizing on a William Saliba error.
But Gabriel Martinelli sealed a memorable win in stoppage time, again assisted by Merino, sending Arsenal to their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
“The personality he showed at his age, in the first time he played in this stadium, incredible,” Arteta added.
Arsenal also became the first English club to win twice at the Bernabeu. They now face PSG in the semi-finals, with Barcelona or Inter Milan potentially awaiting in the final.
