Champions League: Arsenal and Inter join PSG and Barça in the semi-finals
Football - Champions League: Arsenal and Inter join PSG and Barça in the last four, on Sport News Africa
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Arsenal were ruthless. After hammering Real in the first leg (3-0), the Gunners won 2-1 at the Bernabeu to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009. Saka and Martinelli scored for the Londoners, while Vinicius had equalised for the Madrid side. Arsenal thus reach the semi-finals of the Champions League (source competition code: C1) for the 3rd time, after 2006 and 2009.
In the other tie, Inter Milan also booked their place in the semi-finals thanks to a 2-2 home draw against Bayern, after a 2-1 win in the first leg in Munich. Kane had opened the scoring before Martinez and Pavard turned the game around. Dier then equalised for Bayern, who ultimately could not force their way through.
Explosive semi-finals
In the semi-final, Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners go in with a psychological edge, having beaten the Parisians 2-0 in the league phase this season. It is also worth noting that since 2021, either Real Madrid have won the Champions League (2022, 2024), or the team that knocks out the Madrid side has lifted the trophy (Chelsea in 2021, Man City in 2023). Furthermore, statistically, the winner of this semi-final should go on to win the Champions League (source competition code: C1) this year, since every time Munich has hosted the final of the competition, a team that had never won it before has come out on top in the end.
The other semi-final will pit FC Barcelona against Inter Milan. It inevitably recalls the 2010 semi-final, when Samuel Eto'o's Inter knocked out pep Guardiola's FC Barcelona. The semi-finals of this Champions League will be played on 29 and 30 April (first leg) and 6 and 7 May (second leg).