Ademola Lookman started but could not leave his mark. Arsenal made sure of that — and now they are going to Budapest for a Champions League final that has been 20 years in the making.
Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night to reach the UEFA Champions League final, winning the semi-final 2-1 on aggregate. Bukayo Saka scored the only goal, a rebound finish just before half-time after Leandro Trossard’s shot had been parried by Jan Oblak.
For Ademola Lookman, it was a night to forget. The Super Eagles winger started for Atletico but was effectively nullified by Arsenal’s defensive structure and was substituted in the 57th minute, replaced by Johnny Cardoso as Diego Simeone reshaped in search of an equaliser that never came.
What Happened on the Night
The first half was a tactical mirror of the opening leg in Madrid — Arsenal dominant on the ball, Atletico deep and disciplined, chances limited for both sides. The breakthrough arrived in the 44th minute. Trossard drove at goal from the left, Oblak could only push the ball into the area, and Saka followed up to slot home from close range.
Atletico came out with greater urgency after the break. Their best moment came in the 52nd minute, when Giuliano Simeone — son of the manager — found himself with a clear sight of goal but took one touch too many, allowing Gabriel to slide in and clear the ball off the line. It was the defining moment of the tie. Atletico never looked like scoring after that. Those who backed Arsenal to reach the final can find their next market ahead of the Budapest showdown at Bet9ja using the YOHAIG promo code.
The Penalty Controversy That Atletico Cannot Let Go
Atletico claimed two penalty incidents in the second half that German referee Daniel Siebert waved away. Giuliano Simeone went down inside the Arsenal box claiming a foul by Gabriel. Minutes later, Antoine Griezmann appeared to be caught underfoot by Riccardo Calafiori. VAR reviewed neither call. Atletico were furious.
Diego Simeone chose his words carefully in the post-match press conference, but the frustration was unmistakable.
“There’s nothing to say. We are out and we need to congratulate Arsenal. We have to keep working. We won’t focus on a detail that can be seen and is very obvious.”
Atletico midfielder Koke was equally pointed without naming the referee directly.
“He’ll know how he should have refereed. I imagine that he tried his best.”
Lookman’s Night in Numbers
Lookman started on the right side of Atletico’s attack, his eighth appearance in this season’s Champions League. He never found his rhythm. Arsenal’s left side — with Riccardo Calafiori sitting deep and Trossard pressing aggressively — left him with almost no space to run into in the first half.
He managed to connect with Marc Pubill early in the second half as Atletico pushed for an equaliser, but it came to nothing. By the 57th minute, Simeone had seen enough and made the change. Lookman’s record against Arsenal across all six career meetings now reads zero goals, zero assists. The hope before the tie was that the Emirates would be where he finally broke that duck. It was not to be. Fans following his club and international season can track what comes next for him at bet9japromotioncode.com.ng.
Arsenal Go to Budapest
The Gunners now await the winner of Wednesday’s semi-final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. The final is scheduled for May 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Arsenal’s only previous Champions League final appearance was in 2006, when they led Barcelona through goalkeeper Jens Lehmann’s red card and held on before eventually losing 2-1 in Paris. Twenty years later, Mikel Arteta’s side have the chance to finally complete the journey — and they arrive in Budapest having gone the entire competition without losing a single game. Supporters planning to back Arsenal all the way to the Budapest final can get started with this Bet9ja sign-up bonus ahead of the final.
Where This Leaves Lookman
The season is not over for Lookman. Atletico still have league games to play, and the summer will bring its own questions — including whether his future lies at the Metropolitano or elsewhere. The Europa League hat-trick against Leverkusen two seasons ago feels distant tonight. The Champions League semi-final was his biggest stage since then, and he could not take it.
For the Super Eagles and Eric Chelle, Lookman remains one of Nigeria’s most important players. But a night like Tuesday — anonymous at the Emirates, substituted before the hour — is exactly the kind of performance that raises questions about whether the best version of the 28-year-old has already been seen. Those are questions only the next few months can answer.
📌 Did You Know?
- Arsenal’s only previous Champions League final appearance came in 2006 in Paris, where they lost 2-1 to Barcelona despite leading at half-time. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off after just 18 minutes — the first red card in a Champions League final — and Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti scored for Barcelona after Sol Campbell had given Arsenal the lead.
- Bukayo Saka’s goal on Tuesday was his 21st of the season for Arsenal across all competitions in 2025/26, with 14 of those arriving after January 1, 2026. His hat-trick for England during the last international break has also clearly carried momentum into the club campaign, making him one of the most in-form players in European football heading into the Budapest final.
- Atletico Madrid’s semi-final exit ended their first Champions League run to the last four in a decade. Their previous semi-final appearances resulted in two final appearances — losses to Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016 — making this the third time in their recent history that the Champions League has ended at this stage or beyond without a title.
- Antoine Griezmann, who played in both legs of the semi-final, is widely reported to be heading to MLS club Orlando City this summer in what would be one of the highest-profile departures from Atletico in recent years. If confirmed, the semi-final exit at the Emirates could be among his final Champions League matches in a Rojiblancos shirt.
- Arsenal’s Champions League record in 2025/26 now stands at 10 wins and 3 draws from 13 games — entirely unbeaten. If they win the final in Budapest, they will become only the 12th club in the history of the competition to lift the trophy without suffering a single defeat across the entire campaign, a remarkable achievement for Mikel Arteta’s side.
- Lookman’s Europa League hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Dublin final, when he scored all three goals in a 3-0 victory, remains the defining moment of his club career. It was only the second hat-trick in a European final in history, after Justo Tejada’s effort for Real Madrid in the 1956 European Cup final — a record that means his name is already written into European football history regardless of Tuesday’s disappointment.
- Diego Simeone has now been Atletico Madrid’s head coach since December 2011 — over 14 years. During that time, he has taken the club to two Champions League finals and multiple La Liga titles, transforming them from also-rans into one of the three dominant forces in Spanish football. Despite Tuesday’s exit, his legacy at the club remains one of the great coaching achievements in modern football.
