GABRIEL JESUS APPEARS TO SLAP ATLÉTICO MADRID STAR AS TEMPERS FLAIR AFYER ARSENAL WIN

Gabriel Jesus appeared to slap Marc Pubill shortly after Arsenal’s semi-final win (Picture: X)

Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill appeared to get slapped in the face by Gabriel Jesus as he aggressively intruded on Arsenal’s celebrations after last night’s Champions League semi-final second leg.

A week on from the sides’ 1-1 draw in Madrid, Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal to send the Gunners through to this year’s showpiece, where they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich.

Budapest’s Puskas Arena will stage Arsenal’s second-ever appearance in a Champions League final on May 30, two decades on from the club’s painful defeat to Barcelona when Arsene Wenger was at the helm.

Wild celebrations broke out at the Emirates as referee Daniel Siebert blew his whistle to signal full-time, with Mikel Arteta’s jubilant squad soaking up the occasion with supporters inside the stadium.

But the moment took an unsavoury turn as Atleti right-back Pubill shoved an unsuspecting Viktor Gyokeres from behind, sparking a furious reaction from Cristhian Mosquera and Jesus, who had been arm-in-arm with their Swedish team-mate.

Fan footage shows Mosquera attempting to shepherd Pubill away from Gyokeres, but not before Jesus – an unused substitute on the night -appeared to land a heavy blow on the side of the Spaniard’s face – sending his head spinning backwards.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice were both seen trying to deescalate the situation and Pubill eventually off walked off, before making his way towards the away dressing room in north London.

Saka scored the decisive goal in north London (Picture: Getty)

It was initially unclear what had triggered Pubill to approach Gyokeres at full-time and neither manager was asked about the incident when facing the media in the immediate aftermath.

However, a separate clip doing the rounds on social media shows Gyokeres goading Pubill just moments earlier, screaming in the full-back’s direction on the halfway line.

Gyokeres gave Atleti’s defenders a torrid time for much of the clash, doing the dirty work and proving a handful in what is arguably his finest and most important performance yet for the Gunners.

‘He was immense,’ Arteta said of Gyokeres’ display when talking to Amazon Prime shortly after the final whistle.

‘You can see the reaction from the crowd every time he had the ball, his work-rate and what he’s giving the team is just incredible.’

A beaming Arteta said he had never before felt such a ‘special’ and ‘unique’ energy inside the Emirates during his reign as head coach.

‘It’s an incredible night. We made history again together. I cannot be happier and prouder of everyone involved in this football club,’ he added.

‘The manner that we got to see outside the stadium was special and unique.

Arsenal’s players soaked up the moment with fans in the Emirates crowd (Picture: Getty)

‘The atmosphere that our supporters created, the energy, the way they lived every ball with us, it made it special and unique. I never felt that in the stadium.

‘We knew how much it meant to everybody. We put everything in, the boys did an incredible job.

- Tom Olver

SIMEONE SLAPS AND SHOVES ARSENAL STAR IN TUNNEL BUST-UP AS ARTETA 'INCREDIBLY FUMING'

Diego Simeone gesticulates on the touchline for Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone slapped and shoved Ben White in a tunnel bust-up as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Viktor Gyokeres gave Arsenal the lead from the spot after he was bundled over in the box by Dávid Hancko, before Julian Alvarez also converted a penalty to level the tie following a Ben White handball.

Arsenal will head into the second leg at the Emirates as strong favourites to prevail and reach the Champions League final, but can expect a nervy, tense affair in the return leg after the game at the Wanda Metropolitan threatened to boil over following an incident at half-time.

Tensions rose as White walked over Atletico’s badge and was taken to task by Giuliano Simeone for what was seen as a sign of disprespect.

Diego Simeone then pulled his son away before speaking to White, slapping him on the back multiple times and shoving the Arsenal defender.

White wasn’t happy with Atletico manager’s reaction and pushed back before a number of players and staff stepped in to separate the pair.

There was late controversy in the game when referee Danny Makkelie overturned his decision to award Arsenal another penalty for a Hancko foul on Eberechi Eze after being asked to consult his pitch-side monitor.

And Mikel Arteta revealed after the game why he was “absolutely fuming” with the incident.

“We were disappointed for the Atlético penalty,” Arteta said. “In the Premier League, it’s not a penalty but here I have to accept that with the rules and how consistent they’ve been, I accept that this is a handball.

“What I’m incredibly ­fuming with is how the hell the penalty on Ebs gets overturned in the ­manner that it happened when there is no clear and obvious error. This changes the course of the game. And at this level, I’m sorry but this cannot happen.

“A very clear explanation of the decision is what happens for a period of time [when] a referee has to watch it 13 times. What’s more clear than that? It’s impossible and we are all fuming about it. We need to apply the rules … [the way] they applied the rules on Ben White’s penalty.

“When you have fought so hard for nine months to be in this ­position … I mean, that’s another goal that changed completely the course of the tie. And it cannot happen. We put so much on it. So, so, so much on it. This cannot happen.

“There is clear contact. If you make that decision, you cannot overturn that decision. When you have to look at it 13 times … at this level it’s ­completely unacceptable.”

- Will Ford

STUNNING GYOKERES HAT-TRICK FIRES SWEDEN TO WIN

Viktor Gyokeres netted a fine hat-trick to help Sweden move one step closer to World Cup qualification with a 3-1 win over Ukraine.

Sweden headed to Valencia for the European playoff semi-final, with our summer signing opening the scoring after just six minutes.

Viktor doubled his tally on 51 minutes before firing home a penalty to ensure he would take home the match ball. 

Sweden, managed by Graham Potter, will now face Poland, who defeated Albania in their semi-final, in Solna, with the winner advancing to the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

NORGAARD NETS 

There was more joy for our stars in the European playoffs as Christian Norgaard scored for Denmark as they took a step closer to qualifying for a third straight finals.

The Danes took on North Macedonia in Copenhagen and opened the scoring in the second half through Mikkel Damsgaard. The Brentford attacker then doubled his tally on the night before Rasmus Hojlund added a third.

There was still enough time for Christian to find the net, producing a bullet header from Christian Eriksen's cross to round off a fine night's work.

Denmark will now take on Czechia, who came from 2-0 down to beat Ireland on penalties and will host the playoff final in Prague.

CALAFIORI ONE AWAY FROM WORLD CUP

Elsewhere, Riccardo Calafiori ensured it was three wins from three in the European playoffs for our Gunners as Italy downed Northern Ireland 2-0 in Bergamo.

Richy started for Gennaro Gattuso's side as Italy looked to right the wrongs of two previous failed qualifications - and it took 56 minutes to make the breakthrough courtesy of Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali.

Former Everton attacker Moise Kean scored the second for Italy, who will now face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at the summer tournament in Zenica.

MARTINELLI MINUTES

Away from World Cup qualification, Gabriel Martinelli picked up his 21st cap for Brazil as the five-time World Cup champions took on France in Foxborough, USA.

Gabi started for Carlo Ancelotti's side and went close early on, bending his shot narrowly wide at the Gillette Stadium. 

Our forward played 62 minutes as goals from Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike gave Les Bleus a 2-1 victory, with Gleison Bremer netting for The Seleção.

Finally, Max Dowman played 88 minutes in England under-19s 2-0 defeat against Serbia. Max was bright throughout, forcing Vuk Draškić into two good saves.

FULL LIST OF CONFIRMED INTERNATIONAL GAMES

*all times UK

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

England U19 0-2 Serbia U19

Max Dowman started, played 88 minutes

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia

Christian Norgaard netted late on in the victory

Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland

Riccardo Calafiori played the full 90 minutes, kept a clean sheet

Ukraine 1-3 Sweden

Viktor Gyokeres netted a hat-trick

Brazil 1-2 France

Gabriel Martinelli played 62 minutes

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

Andorra U21 v England U21 (Setford, Lewis-Skelly)

Euro U21 qualifier | Andorra | 6.30pm

England (Saka, Madueke, White, Rice) v Uruguay

Friendly | Wembley | 7.45pm

Switzerland v Germany (Havertz)

Friendly | Basel | 8pm

Spain (Raya, Zubimendi, Mosquera) v Serbia

Friendly | Villarreal | 8pm

Morocco v Ecuador (Hincapie)

Friendly | Madrid, Spain | 8.15pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 28

England U19s (Dowman) v Poland U19s

Euro U19 qualifier | Guimaraes, Portugal | 11am

MONDAY, MARCH 30

Germany (Havertz) v Ghana

Friendly | Stuttgart | 7.45pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

Portugal U19s v England U19s (Dowman)

Euro U19 qualifier | Guimaraes, Portugal | 4pm

England U21s (Lewis-Skelly, Setford) v Moldova U21s

Euro U21 qualifier | Norwich | 7pm

Bosnia and Herzegovina v Italy (Calafiori)

World Cup qualifier | Zenica | 7.45pm

Czech Republic v Denmark (Norgaard)

World Cup qualifier | Prague | 7.45pm

Sweden (Gyokeres) v Poland 

World Cup qualifier | Solna | 7.45pm

England (Saka, Madueke, Rice, White) v Japan

Friendly | London | 7.45pm

Netherlands v Ecuador (Hincapie)

Friendly | Eindhoven | 7.45pm

Spain (Mosquera, Raya, Zubimendi) v Egypt

Friendly | Cornella | 8pm

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

Brazil (Martinelli) v Croatia

Friendly | Orlando USA | 1am

- Arsenal 

VIKTOR GYOKERES MEME | ARSENAL FC

 

DIEGO SIMEONE ISSUES 'SUPERIOR' ARSENAL VERDICT AND EXPLAINS HOW GUNNERS OVERWHELMED ATLÉTICO MADRID

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has been speaking after his side’s Champions League defeat to Arsenal.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone provided an honest verdict on his side’s heavy Champions League defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday night. The Gunners won 4-0 thanks to 13 superb second-half minutes that saw them score four goals.

Simeone has been honest about his side's defeat | Getty Images

Gabriel Magalhaes scored in the 57th minute, then Gabriel Martinelli scored to make it two before Viktor Gyokeres put the game firmly beyond reach with a much-needed brace after a slow start in front of goal for the Gunners.

The win means Arsenal have made it three wins from as many games in the Champions League, while Atletico have now won once and lost twice. There are still five games remaining in the league phase, so it’s hardly panic stations from Atletico, who did make this a close contest until that wild 13 minutes that saw them slip quickly out of the picture.

"They were superior and very decisive in that part of the match,” Atleti boss Simeone said after the game. “After the set piece goal, things went their way with merit. They demanded our all until the 1-0 lead. The team worked well, ran, and were overtaken by a team that was better."

He added on the key moments in the game: "Julian's (Alvarez) shot went wide of the post in the first half. Small details that could have turned the game around for us. But the opponent is very strong in all lines; overall, everyone runs, and that takes away time to think. Up until the first goal, we were comfortable with the game, and in that 13-minute stretch, they were decisive."

Arsenal opened the scoring through a set-piece when Declan Rice delivered the ball perfectly for Gabriel. "I've always loved set pieces, and there are teams that work them very well,” Simeone admitted. “They have incredible value in every game. When you break the game open with a set piece, you've come a long way."

Gyokeres on his brace

Gyokeres hasn’t had much luck in front of goal for Arsenal since arriving in the summer, scoring three times in eight league appearances, and he has only scored in two league games. But the Sweden international looked like the lethal striker Arsenal want him to be against Atleti, scoring twice, and he was delighted after the game.

“I am very pleased,” he told Prime Video. “They had some good opportunities but I think we controlled it overall. To score four and keep a clean sheet again is very good. We always keep going. We do the things right when we defend and when we get the chances we are extremely strong in taking those.

"Both [my] goals were great. I try to do my best all the time and work hard, contribute with different stuff and the goals would have come sooner or later. We want to do well, we want to win football matches but there's a long journey to go. We will take it game-by-game, even if that sounds boring."

- Jamie Kemble

SWEDEN BOSS FIRED HOURS AFTER ANGRY ALEXANDER ISAK HAVE X-RATED VERDICT ON WORLD CUP 'CRISIS'

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak may not reach next year's World Cup, with Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson paying the price for his side's awful run of form

Sweden has picked up just one point in World Cup qualifying (Image: Getty Images

Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has been fired after leading his side to a dismal run of form that has left its World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

Despite starting Liverpool striker Alexander Isak and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres against Kosovo on Monday, Sweden drew a blank as it fell to a 1-0 defeat. It was the third time in four World Cup qualifiers that Tomasson’s side had failed to score, having picked up just one point so far after also being beaten by Switzerland at the weekend.

Sweden cannot qualify directly for next year’s tournament now, and its hopes of reaching the play-offs by finishing second in its group are all but over, with its only realistic hope now lying in its Nations League finish.

As a result, Tomasson has been relieved of his duties, with the Swedish Football Association confirming the decision on Tuesday - just hours after the defeat to Kosovo.

“The decision taken by the Swedish Football Association is based on the fact that the men's national team has not delivered the results we hoped for,” SFA chairman Simon Astrom said in a statement.

“There is still a chance for a playoff in March and our responsibility is to ensure that we have the best possible conditions to be able to reach a World Cup final. In this regard, we believe that new leadership is required in the form of a new national captain.”

- James Findlater

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BENJAMIN SESKO 'SETTING OFF ALARM BELLS' GUVE MANCHESTER UNITED CAUSE OF CONCERN

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Benjamin Sesko before eventually signing Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, with the RB Leipzig ace now a top target for Manchester United

Benjamin Sesko has yet to decide his future, with Manchester United interested in signing the striker(Image: Getty Images)

Arsenal chose against pursuing Benjamin Sesko in favour of securing Viktor Gyokeres after considering the RB Leipzig forward too much of a gamble.

Mikel Arteta's team eventually confirmed the Swedish striker's arrival last month following one of the summer's most protracted transfer sagas. The Gunners had narrowed their striker hunt down to Gyokeres and Sesko, but ultimately plumped for the 27-year-old, leaving Sesko embroiled in a tug-of-war between Manchester United and Newcastle United.

The Slovenian international had previously appeared destined for north London given the club's extensive 12-month scouting operation monitoring his development at RB Leipzig, according to ESPN.

Following initial discussions with the German side, Arsenal executives quickly discovered that any move for the talented striker would prove too costly for a player still developing his game, reports the Mirror.

The report highlighted three primary concerns that triggered "alarm bells" over a potential Sesko deal, including Leipzig's hefty asking price alongside his wage demands.

With just two campaigns under his belt in Europe's elite leagues - netting 21 goals in all competitions during the previous term - sources revealed the club harboured doubts about Sesko's psychological readiness to spearhead Arsenal's frontline and cope with the accompanying pressure.

The future of Rasmus Hojlund remains uncertain(Image: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Despite Gyokeres not yet making his mark in one of Europe's top domestic leagues, his impressive record of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP and Arsenal's faith in his character led them to secure a deal for the striker.

Sesko is reportedly still weighing up his options, with Newcastle having their bid of just under £70m turned down after they rejected Liverpool's £110m offer for Alexander Isak. Despite United not yet making a formal offer for the 22-year-old, they remain keenly interested in enhancing their attack with his signature.

However, Arsenal's decision to withdraw from a deal could raise eyebrows at United, who are all too familiar with the pitfalls of investing heavily in young strikers who fail to live up to their hefty price tags.

The potential signing of Sesko might signal the end of Rasmus Hojlund's time at Old Trafford, as Ruben Amorim confessed he is uncertain whether the Dane - who has expressed his desire to fight for his place - will still be a United player by month's end.

Ruben Amorim did not confirm whether Hojlund would be a Manchester United player by the end of the summer transfer window

United shelled out £72m on the 22-year-old in 2023 and, according to The Athletic, acknowledge internally that they might now have to accept lower than his book value, which stands at a little under £45m.

Following the striker's goal in United's 4-1 pre-season victory over Bournemouth, the Red Devils manager commented: "I'm really happy with Rasmus, but I don't know what is going to happen until the end of the market.

"The important thing is that the strikers who are here are working really well, they are improving, they are helping the team and that's the most important thing. The important thing is that Rasmus is scoring goals.

"He's connecting really well with the team. He's improving. Again, I don't know what is going to happen until the market is closed. We suffered a a lot because of the lack of goals last season. But I think not just the goals, but the way Rasmus connects the play.

"Every time we have to kick the ball, we are kicking the ball when we are more pressed. The ability for him to hold the defender and to connect in the support is helping us to play a lot better and we are playing better because he's playing better."

The arrival of Sesko would certainly come with the expectation that he provides consistent goals, especially after the dire season they had in front of goal. United netted just 44 league goals this past campaign, with only four teams scoring fewer, including all three of the relegated sides.

Amorim has taken note of their troubles in front of goal, given the summer signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who scored 35 combined league goals last season.

- Fasika Zelealem

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