What happened last time Arsenal reached UEFA Champions League semifinals?

The Gunners have made it to the UCL Semi-finals after 16 years.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have etched their names in the history books after making it to the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League by thrashing defending Champions, Real Madrid, with an aggregate score of 5-1. A brace from Declan Rice and a 75th-minute strike from Mikel Merino were enough to hand over a massive lead to the Gunners in the first leg.

In the second leg, under the closed roof of Santiago Bernabeu, when everyone expected Los Blancos to make a miraculous comeback, the Gunners went on to score twice against all odds to win the second leg. It helped them storm themselves into the semi-finals. In this article, we take a look at what happened when Arsenal made it to the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League 16 years ago.

The Gunners finished second in the Group stage

Arsenal were drawn alongside FC Porto, Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahce in Group G. In the six matches they played, they managed to win three and suffered a solitary loss that helped them to finish second with 11 points, just a point behind table toppers FC Porto.

In the Round of 16 clash, Arsenal were scheduled to lock horns against AS Roma. Arsene Wenger’s side got a brilliant opportunity to score from the spot kick. Robin van Persie’s penalty found the back of the net to secure a lead in the first leg. After Roma scored in the second leg, Arsenal went on to get the better of the Italian outfit 7-6 on penalties.

United ended Arsenal’s hopes of making it to the UCL Finals.

Arsenal had to face Villarreal in the quarter-finals of the UCL. Villareal were coming after a win over the Greek outfit, Panathinaikos, in the Round of 16. After the first leg ended in a 1-1 stalemate, Arsenal netted three goals in the second leg to storm themselves into the semi-finals.

High on spirits, the two English giants faced off against each other for a coveted spot in the Finals. Manchester United got the better of FC Porto by an aggregate of 3-2 in the quarter-finals. In the first leg of the semi-finals, United got the better of the Gunners by 1-0 to take a decisive lead.

The second leg concluded in a dramatic fashion as the Red Devils triumphed over the Gunners in the Emirates Stadium by 3-1. This game saw a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a late consolation from Robin van Persie. Also, a red card to Darren Fletcher in the 75th minute. Eventually, United suffered a defeat against Barcelona in the Finals and had to settle for a silver medal.

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