Arteta and Ødegaard reflect on what really cost Arsenal vs PSG | OneFootball

After Arsenal’s European journey was halted in Paris, Mikel Arteta and Martin Ødegaard opened up on what it means, what went wrong, and what comes next.

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Mikel Arteta admitted that the pain of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain will stay with him, urging his players to absorb the hurt and return stronger.

A 2-1 defeat in the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night saw Arsenal exit the competition 3-1 on aggregate, bringing an end to a European campaign that had offered so much promise and belief.

“Yes, 100 per cent,” Arteta said when asked if the defeat should fuel the next step forward. “You have to be prepared to take those difficult moments on the chin and get up and we have a really good example with Marquinhos in the other dressing room.

“I think it is 11 times he’s tried to win the Champions League and failed 11 times. For him, it’s to try and win the Champions League every single season and he’s still out there competing, with his head up and trying to make it happen again.

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“We had an amazing performance, but it has to hurt a lot. It’s not enough to say ‘yeah we were very close, we competed so well, we were better than them for most of the game’.

“It has to hurt because if not it will happen again. We have to make more things and have more availability and we have to have more options. That’s the next step.”

Once again, Arsenal outperformed the French champions in terms of chances created, but were denied by the brilliance of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who followed up his excellent first-leg performance with another string of saves, including an amazing early stop to deny Martin Ødegaard.

Despite the loss, Arteta was keen to recognise the contribution of Arsenal fans throughout the campaign.

“Congratulations to PSG for being in the final, and then I want to thank you, our supporters, for the incredible journey that we have had together, Arteta added.

“The amount of support, how much they tried to lift the team and how much belief there was that we could actually do it and it’s a very sad day, they’re very disappointed.

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“I think the team showed an incredible personality, quality to come here, after 20 minutes we should have been two, three nil up and these ties are won normally in the boxes and their best player in both games has been their goalkeeper, he’s made a difference for them and probably the scoreline.

“Honestly, it’s been a fascinating journey together,” he said. “When we played at home, the atmosphere we created and when we played away – we’re so grateful about that because we really sensed that belief. That it wasn’t just something – that it was a real belief, but unfortunately we couldn’t deliver it.”

Martin Ødegaard spoke with equal honesty and frustration after full-time, having himself gone close to scoring in the opening 10 minutes. His low drive was arrowing toward the corner before Donnarumma made another decisive intervention.

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“It’s very painful to be honest,” the captain said. “I think we started the game really well, on the front foot, took control of the game and created some big moments.

“But again, in the boxes, that’s where the games are decided and we weren’t good enough. Also a lot of credit to their goalkeeper who made some unbelievable saves.

“We did a lot of good things, but in the end, we have to be better in the boxes. That’s where we have to be sharper and more clinical and also not concede the goals like we’ve done.”

Ødegaard, who has led Arsenal through another season of significant progress, acknowledged the disappointment of coming so close, but stressed the importance of resilience.

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“We have to stick together, to stay strong and learn from it,” he added. “At the moment it’s painful. We wanted to go all the way and to bring trophies to this club and to our supporters and to everyone.

“We’ve had some tough moments during my time here and I feel like every time we’ve come back stronger. So that’s the only thing you can do.

“It’s a massive disappointment and I know everyone is disappointed. But the only thing you can do is to keep going, keep improving, keep learning. Stay together, be there for each other, lift each other up and make sure we go again.”

Donnarumma’s performance was central to PSG’s win, but Arteta and Ødegaard were both acutely aware that finishing, composure, and errors at key moments told the story of the tie.

Despite the heartbreak, there is recognition that this team has taken a step forward. Last year it was a quarter-final defeat. This year, the semi-final.

But now the challenge is clear. If Arsenal want to return to this stage and go further, they must do more than compete. They must put more money where their ambition is.