CNN —
Arsenal and Inter Milan progressed to the Champions League semifinals after an action-packed night of soccer on Wednesday.
Arsenal overcame the challenge of Real Madrid while Inter beat Bayern Munich to seal the club’s spots in the next round of the tournament.
The semifinal fixtures are now confirmed, with PSG to face the Londoners and Barcelona taking on the Italian giants with a coveted spot in the final up for grabs.
Arsenal and PSG seek their first-ever Champions League trophy, with the Gunners buoyed by knocking out the reigning Champions League winners.
Arsenal took a three-goal lead to the Santiago Bernabéu ahead of the second leg, but Real Madrid has become known for producing miracles in the Champions League.
The traveling side would have been wary of Madrid’s storied success in the competition, knowing an early goal for either team would be crucial.
Arsenal was gifted with an early chance after being awarded a penalty just 10 minutes into the match. Bukayo Saka stepped up for the Gunners but saw his dinked spot kick saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Less than 15 minutes later, it looked as if Arsenal would be punished for the wasted opportunity. Real Madrid was given a penalty when star striker Kylian Mbappé fell to the floor in the Arsenal box. The decision, however, was overturned following a lengthy VAR check.
The game remained cagey with neither side looking to give up an inch, until in the 65th minute, when Saka made amends for his earlier miss.
After a flowing move from Mikel Arteta’s side, Saka was played through one-on-one by makeshift striker Mikel Merino. Arsenal’s star man remained composed and sat down Courtois in the Madrid goal with a delicately executed chip.
All involved with Arsenal would have breathed a huge sigh of relief after going 4-0 up on aggregate, but this sense of relief was short-lived.
Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior leveled the score on the night just minutes after the Arsenal opener. The Brazilian was gifted the chance to score into an empty net after a mistake from Arsenal defender William Saliba.
It proved to be too little, too late, however, and to rub salt in the Real Madrid wounds, Gabriel Martinelli raced through on goal in added time and confidently finished past Courtois.
Arsenal ended up winning 2-1 on the night and 5-1 across the two legs to seal its spot in the Champions League semifinal – its first since 2009 – where it faces PSG.
Elsewhere, Inter Milan managed to seal a tight 4-3 aggregate win against Bayern Munich.
The Italian side was leading 2-1 after the first leg and would have felt confident about holding on to its lead at home.
Bayern Munich, however, was keen to upset the odds and leveled the aggregate score when Harry Kane expertly scored from a tight angle early in the second half.
But Inter Milan bounced back, and quickly. Lautaro Martínez scored for Inter just six minutes after Kane’s opener before Benjamin Pavard gave the home side the lead on the night just three minutes after Martínez’s equalizer.
Eric Dier gave Bayern Munich renewed hope when he scored with 15 minutes left in the tie, but the Italian side was able to hold on to its slender lead.
A semifinal tie against Barcelona now waits for Inter Milan.
Barcelona reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in six years, despite being outplayed and comfortably beaten 3-1 by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
Hansi Flick’s side is looking to win a first Champions League title in 10 years – back when Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar famously led the team’s attack.
