Bukayo Saka wrote a new chapter in Arsenal’s modern history, scoring the decisive goal that sent the club into its first Champions League final in two decades with a 1-0 victory over Atlético Madrid at the Emirates Stadium and a 2-1 aggregate win.

On a tense night in north London, Saka struck on the stroke of half-time, reacting quickest after Jan Oblak parried Leandro Trossard’s low drive. The 22-year-old winger arrived at the back post to tap in, igniting an eruption inside the stadium and ultimately settling a bruising, tactical semifinal.

Arsenal, who last reached the final in 2006 when they lost to Barcelona, will now face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in Budapest, with a chance to lift Europe’s biggest prize for the first time in the club’s history.

Mikel Arteta hailed the occasion as a landmark for the club and its supporters, praising the intensity of the atmosphere and the resilience of a side that has grown under his watch from nearly-men to genuine continental heavyweights. He spoke of a collective sense of history, of a team and fanbase feeding off each other’s belief.

The match itself was tight and attritional, more in keeping with Diego Simeone’s Atlético than Arsenal’s free-flowing league form. The hosts dominated possession but found clear chances scarce until Saka’s intervention. Atlético, twice beaten finalists under Simeone, struggled to create meaningful openings against a disciplined back line that has been the foundation of Arsenal’s European campaign.

Arsenal’s defensive record in this season’s competition is formidable. They have conceded just four goals, kept a clean sheet in every home knockout tie and remain unbeaten heading into the final. Even when Viktor Gyökeres missed a golden chance to make it 2-0 in the second half, there was little sense of panic from a side that has learned how to manage high-pressure occasions.

Saka, who was a small child when Thierry Henry’s generation fell short in Paris, now carries the hopes of a new era. An academy graduate who joined the club at eight, he has become both symbol and spearhead of Arsenal’s resurgence, his 13th Champions League goal placing him among the club’s most prolific in Europe.

With a domestic title race also finely poised, Arsenal stand on the brink of a season that could redefine their place in the European game. The final in Budapest will test whether this renaissance can be crowned with silverware.