Atletico striker's all-important goal in Europa League semi-final second leg means Arsenal manager will depart without a European trophy to his name
Arsenal's Arsene Wenger on the sidelines during the Europa League semi-final second leg v Atletico Madrid on Thursday
Diego Costa killed Arsene Wenger's last hope of a glorious Arsenal farewell as his goal sent Atletico Madrid through to the Europa League final. Wenger's 250th European fixture with Arsenal also proved to be his last, decided by a ruthless finish from Costa, who delivered a display defenders must have nightmares about. Arsenal's defence, fragile and nervous throughout, were susceptible and this 1-0 defeat, 2-1 on aggregate, means Wenger's final season in charge will end with his team missing out on Champions League qualification for a second year in a row.
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I'm very sad: Wenger
For all his domestic achievements, Wenger will also depart without a European trophy to his name. "I'm very sad tonight," Wenger said. "Unfortunately you have to go through that — the game can be very cruel, sometimes very nice, but the suffering is very strong tonight." More immediately, there was the concerning sight of Laurent Koscielny being carried off on a stretcher in the 12th minute after the defender went down, with nobody near him, clutching his left Achilles.
Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa scores past Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina during the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Thursday. Pics/AFP
Wenger said: "It doesn't look very good, it's his Achilles. You can always hope for a miracle in the scan but if he has a ruptured Achilles, his chances for the World Cup are non-existent." Koscielny's exit made a tough task all the more difficult for Arsenal, who were always going to be up against it at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Atletico have not lost in the league all season and not conceded a goal since January.
It was perhaps also telling that Costa's physicality and Atletico's defensive rigour ultimately proved decisive, two qualities Wenger's Arsenal in recent years have so lacked. "Costa came back here for nights like this," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Costa was hunting Arsenal's back four from the outset as he wrestled past Koscielny, knocked over Nacho Monreal before firing wide with only David Ospina to beat. At the back, however, they were shaky, as Ospina had balls booted out of his grasp by teammates.
Diego Costa
By the end of the half, Atletico were on top, striking in injury-time. Granit Xhaka's weak header saw Antoine Griezmann relay it to Costa, who held off Hector Bellerin before coolly finishing past Ospina.
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