Soccer Football - Champions League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Real Madrid v Arsenal - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - April 16, 2025 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
(Reuters) -Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta thanked Premier League rivals Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola after his side defeated holders Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League
The Spaniard hailed the victory as one of the best nights of his career and revealed he had a chat with his former mentor Guardiola on the morning of the second leg before Arsenal claimed a 5-1 aggregate win.
"I called him because if I am here, it is thanks to him to a great extent," Arteta told reporters after Wednesday's game.
He worked as Guardiola's assistant at City from 2016-19.
"He has been a big inspiration to me. I lived four amazing years with him and I will always be grateful to him. Without him, I wouldn't be here," he added.
With a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg at the Emirates, Arsenal exuded a confidence unmatched by the hosts. Bukayo Saka's second-half strike was cancelled out by Vinicius Junior in the 67th minute before Gabriel Martinelli sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal.
Arsenal are in the Champions League semi-finals for the third time.
"Our team is very hungry and we want to keep on doing great things ... we want to keep playing at semi-finals. We will have to go through tough times if we want to continue playing at this stage but we also have to enjoy it," Arteta added.
"The first thing I thought when the game finished was of my wife and my children because they've heard all week about what can happen in this stadium. They were here with me and they were proud."
Arsenal host Paris St Germain on April 29 in the first leg, aiming for a spot in the final in Munich, having defeated PSG 2-0 at home in the group stage in October.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
