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Declan Rice said he "knew" Arsenal would claim victory in their Champions League semifinal against Atlético Madrid the moment Bukayo Saka handed the Gunners a second-leg advantage on Tuesday evening.
Following a 1–1 stalemate in Madrid the previous week, Saka's lone rebound strike just before the break proved to be the difference, as Arsenal booked their spot in the Champions League final for the first time in two decades.
Despite being England's third most decorated club in terms of league titles (13), the Gunners have never conquered Europe's premier men's competition—though the club's women's side has achieved the feat twice. The opportunity to rewrite that story is rare and carries enormous weight.
"It is chaos [in the dressing room]," Rice disclosed on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast.
"I don't think you can underestimate what we have achieved in this competition to this point. I think we have every right to celebrate that moment. The most prestigious competition in club football. We are just trying to take it all in."
The Gunners remain undefeated in the Champions League this campaign, collecting maximum points from all eight league phase outings and successfully progressing through six knockout ties across three rounds.
"We knew coming into the match what was on the line. If you can't get motivated for that, then you can't get motivated for any game of football. When we went 1–0 up, I knew we were going to win. I could sense something special was building," Rice added.
Arsenal on the Brink of History
In 2006, it was Barcelona in Paris. In 2026, it will be either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest. Either continental powerhouse would be a worthy opponent in the final alongside the Gunners on May 30, but Arsenal will back themselves as a resolute defensive outfit.
While Spain leads all nations in European Cup/Champions League victories by sheer volume—largely due to Real Madrid's remarkable 15 triumphs—England boasts the greatest number of different winning clubs.
Six English sides have previously lifted the European Cup—Manchester United (3), Liverpool (6), Nottingham Forest (2), Aston Villa (1), Chelsea (2), Manchester City (1)—compared to just two from Spain. Arsenal, in addition to making their own history, could further extend that record.