Odegaard admits Arsenal have not been good enough in front of goal after being knocked out of Champions League | OneFootball

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard admits his team were not good enough in front of goal in their two Champions League semi-final ties against PSG.

The Gunners were knocked out of the competition with a 3-1 aggregate defeat after losing 2-1 in Paris and 1-0 at the Emirates.

Odegaard says he cannot fault the effort from his players but acknowledged they were not good enough in both boxes.

He told TNT Sports: “We gave it a proper go. We started the game really well. We were on the front foot, had the momentum, a few big chances but in the end it wasn’t enough.

“Over the two games we weren’t good enough. Credit to their goalkeeper who made amazing saves. It wasn’t enough and that’s painful.

“In the boxes, especially today what we did with the ball between the boxes we dominated the ball and took the control of the game from the start. We were not strong enough in the boxes and that’s where we lost it.”

Bukayo Saka scored to give Arsenal a late lifeline in the second leg after goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi, but Odegaard accepts his side’s efforts were not enough.

“It’s painful, we wanted to do the big thing, a big goal in the league and the Champions League,” he said. “Massive disappointment but we have to stay strong and together. Take the lessons, take the pain and use it to come back stronger.

“We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things but it’s not enough. In front of goal is where games are decided and that’s where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way.”

Fellow Gunners midfielder Declan Rice is also keen to ensure his side learn from this experience, telling TNT Sports: “Sometimes you have to lose a few in order to win and overcome setbacks to grow as a player and as a group.

“We’re going through that at the moment in terms of the league and Champions League – we’ve been here back-to-back seasons – we’re growing as a team but we need to keep pushing and believing.

“We’re absolutely gutted but this doesn’t define us for sure. We’ll be stronger with our players back who have been out for a long time.”