GABRIEL JESUS FIRES ARSENAL INTO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 WITH DOMINANT INTER MILAN BRACE
Gabriel Jesus scored twice as Arsenal beat Inter Milan 3-1. The Gunners secure a top-eight finish and a place in the UCL last 16.
Gabriel Jesus fired Arsenal into the last 16 of the Champions League with a brace in Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Inter Milan, locking up a top-eight finish for the Gunners.
He struck twice from close range in the first half, and Arsenal walked away with their seventh straight win in the group stage at the San Siro. Now, Mikel Arteta’s got a real selection headache before Manchester United come to the Emirates on Sunday.
Jesus started ahead of summer, signing Viktor Gyokeres—who’s had a tough season—but Gyokeres still made his mark, putting away a tidy finish in the 84th minute to put the game to bed. Jesus just looked sharp all night.
Before this match, Jesus had only started twice all season. He’s finally finding his rhythm again after spending nearly a year out with a torn cruciate ligament.
He was emotional after the game. “It’s a dream night. I always dreamed of being a footballer. I watched a lot of Serie A as a kid, so being here, scoring here—I’ve got tears in my eyes,” he told Amazon Prime. “Things happen for a reason. Whether it’s the good stuff or the tough stuff, you learn. I learned a lot during those 11 months I was out.”
With this win, Arsenal sits on 21 points. Honestly, they were basically through before kickoff—last year, 16 points were enough for a top-eight spot. But Jesus made sure they’re six points clear at the top, with Bayern Munich chasing before their game against Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.
Inter, who levelled through a fantastic Petar Sucic goal in the 18th minute, now sit ninth. That’s three straight losses in Europe’s top competition—a first in their history.
The Serie A leaders have slipped out of the top eight, and even if they beat Borussia Dortmund next week, their maximum tally is 15 points. So, Inter’s looking at the playoffs, even after starting the group with four wins.
What’s worse for Cristian Chivu’s team is that it’s another big-game flop. They’ve struggled when the stakes are high and were sloppy for both of Jesus’ goals.
Arsenal looked set for an easy night when Jesus poked home the opener in the 10th minute, capitalising after Jurrien Timber mishit a shot. That was Jesus’ first Champions League goal since November 2023.
But Inter hit back fast—Sucic smashed in a beauty, and suddenly Arsenal had work to do.
Sucic nearly had another in the 27th minute, sprinting clear thanks to Lautaro Martinez, but he hesitated, then sent a poor pass to Marcus Thuram, who blasted over.
Four minutes later, Inter paid for that miss. Jesus was left all alone at the back post during one of Arsenal’s clever set pieces. Bukayo Saka floated a corner, Leandro Trossard headed it off the bar, and Jesus was there to finish.
Inter didn’t give up, though. Federico Dimarco and sub Pio Esposito both threatened with angled shots, but Gyokeres finished them off on the break, letting Arsenal fans focus on United next.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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