Former Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder says he wanted to stop last night’s Champions League semi-final between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid after 35 minutes because it was “incredibly boring”.
Arsenal progressed to the final in Budapest thanks to Bukayo Saka’s close-range goal that gave his side a 1-0 win on the night and a 2-1 win on aggregate. They are now going to face Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final with that game standing 5-4 against the defending champions in the first leg in France last week.
The mood of the PSG-Bayern game was a stark contrast to last night’s game with just four shots on target, leaving Sneijder, who has played for Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan in an impressive career, unhappy.
In his position as a professor at Ziggo Sport, he said: “I wanted to call UEFA after 35 minutes to cancel the game, for the players to leave the field and for UEFA to announce the final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
“Honestly, it was incredibly boring. It was not like the semi-final. There was no intensity, no creativity and no quality. At this level, you expect drama and high-quality football, but this was far from that.”
Whoever wins tonight will be the favorites to claim the title, according to Sneijder.
“I find it difficult to imagine that Arsenal can put PSG or Bayern in trouble,” he added. “From what we’ve seen, it would be an easy win for one or the other.”
Arsenal got lucky – Sneijder
Sneijder also felt that Arsenal were lucky to escape two missed penalties that went Atletico’s way – the first with Gabriel’s challenge on Giuliano Simeone and the second with Riccardo Calafiori bringing down Antoine Griezmann.
He added: “Arsenal should be very grateful. There was a clear connection with Giuliano Simeone which was a penalty, and Antoine Griezmann when the referee didn’t blow the whistle. For me, they were unbeatable.”
Carragher says Atletico are to blame for the dour game, not Arsenal
Jamie Carragher, who works for CBS, felt that the blame for the largely forgotten tournament should be directed at the visitors.
The former Liverpool and England defender said: “Atlético Madrid once [Diego] Simeone played a big role in this. It was a disappointment for an experienced coach. They sat, they kicked, they tried the dark arts, but they gave nothing. No ideas, no threats, no real fight when Arsenal press. Zero spark on the attack. Griezmann appeared on his own, the pitch went by… it was flat.
“That’s why they are always in third place behind Real Madrid and Barcelona after so many years. Simeone has done a great job at times, turning Atletico into a real club, but in the big moments, when faced with serious teams with momentum and movement, they fail. It’s too bad, it depends too much on the same old script from 10 years ago.”
