Atletico Madrid came up with another 1-0 win, against Arsenal this time, to secure passage through to the Europa League final in a tense encounter that saw plenty of chances for both side.
Arsenal came into the game needing to score after conceding a late away goal at the Emirates last week, and their task got that little bit harder on the stroke of half-time thanks to the returning Diego Costa. As it was the ‘Gunners’ were not able to make any impact and will end their season without a trophy or Champions League football.
Arsene Wenger named an unchanged side to try and get the job done in a stadium where the home side have only conceded 18 times all season in the league, but he was soon forced into a change. Laurent Koscielny went down with a terrible Achilles injury that has ruled him out of the World Cup and a considerable amount of time after than. It has since been confirmed that it is a full rupture.
Thomas Partey, Gabi and Costa all came into the side for Diego Simeone and it was the Spain striker who continued his fine scoring form against Arsenal. With the first half in added time, Arsenal fell asleep defensively and Antoine Griezmann found Costa in space with Bellerin lagging far behind. The former Chelsea player closed down on goal and lifted an emphatic finish over David Ospina to give his team the lead on the night.