Club legend names Arsenal star who ‘won’t sleep’ after Champions League heartbreak
Image credit: Getty Images
Martin Keown believes Bukayo Saka will be haunted by his late miss after Arsenal Champions League dream was dashed by Paris Saint-Germain in a dramatic semi-final clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night hoping to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and secure a spot in the final. However, PSG delivered a clinical performance, winning 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate to book their place in the final against Inter Milan.
Fabian Ruiz’s superb first-half strike gave the French champions control of the tie, and Achraf Hakimi doubled their advantage midway through the second half, seemingly sealing Arsenal’s fate. Saka gave the Gunners a lifeline with a late goal, but moments later missed a golden opportunity to level the match, failing to convert from close range.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the match, former Arsenal defender Keown said Saka’s miss will weigh heavily on him.
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“It was a painful miss,” Keown said. “It will hurt Saka. He won’t sleep for two or three nights. But he can be proud of his performance—he was causing major problems all night.”
Bukayo Saka missed a sitter late in the game that would have equalised for Arsenal against PSG (Image credit: Getty Images)Keown also praised PSG’s resilience and teamwork, contrasting Arsenal’s shortcomings in key areas.
“You have to give credit to PSG,” he added. “Arsenal can be proud of what they’ve done this season, especially being only in their second year back in the Champions League. But not having a proper centre-forward has caught up with us—two of them were out tonight.
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“For PSG, it’s remarkable. No Neymar, no Messi, no Mbappé—they’ve all moved on—but now they look like a complete side. I haven’t seen forward players work that hard in a long time. How do you beat them? They have to be favourites to win it now.”
Arsenal’s exit marks a fifth consecutive season without silverware, a tough pill to swallow for Arteta’s men.
Reacting to the defeat, Declan Rice admitted the team was devastated but vowed they would come back stronger.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown (Image credit: Getty Images)“We gave it everything; it just wasn’t meant to be,” Rice told TNT Sports. “In this competition, you’re either in or you’re out. Over the two legs, we could have scored more, but their keeper was unbelievable.
“Sometimes you have to lose a few to win and overcome setbacks to grow. We’re going through that now, in both the league and Champions League. We’re growing as a team, and we have to keep pushing and believing. We’re absolutely gutted, but this doesn’t define us—we’ll be stronger when our injured players return.”
On Arsenal’s continued quest for silverware, Rice added: “We’re all desperate for it. That’s why we play football—to win trophies. We’ve been close, but it hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not good enough. Arsenal should be pushing for and winning trophies. A lot of great players have suffered defeats before going on to win. This hurts, you see it in the boys and the manager. We wanted to be in Munich, but this doesn’t define us—we’ll be back.”
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