Martin Odegaard names the one thing Arsenal squad must do after PSG loss | OneFootball

The Gunners will end a fifth consecutive season without a trophy

The Gunners went into the second leg in the French captain looking to overturn a one-goal deficit as they bid to reach a first Champions League final in 19 years.

Mikel Arteta’s side, however, were 2-1 losers in the second leg after Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi struck before a late Bukayo Saka goal.

Arsenal have now gone five years without winning a major trophy and Odegaard confessed afterwards that this defeat was painful.

The Norwegian admitted he and his team-mates were not clinical enough against PSG, but he has vowed they will bounce back next season.

“It’s very painful to be honest,” Odegaard said. “I think we started the game really well, on the front foot, took control of the game and created some big moments.

“But again, in the boxes, that’s where the games are decided and we weren’t good enough. Also a lot of credit to their goalkeeper who made some unbelievable saves.

We have to stick together, to stay strong and learn from it. At the moment it’s painful. We wanted to go all the way and to bring trophies to this club and to our supporters

Martin Odegaard

“We did a lot of good things, but in the end, we have to be better in the boxes. That’s where we have to be sharper and more clinical and also not concede the goals like we’ve done.

“We have to stick together, to stay strong and learn from it. At the moment it’s painful. We wanted to go all the way and to bring trophies to this club and to our supporters and to everyone.

“We’ve had some tough moments during my time here and I feel like every time we’ve come back stronger. So that’s the only thing you can do.

“It’s a massive disappointment and I know everyone is disappointed. But the only thing you can do is to keep going, keep improving, keep learning. Stay together, be there for each other, lift each other up and make sure we go again.”

Mikel Arteta revealed after the game that some of his players were in tears in the dressing room at the Parc des Princes.

The Arsenal manager said he himself was “really upset”, but also that his players need to feel this pain.

“We had an amazing performance, but it has to hurt a lot,” said Arteta. “It’s not enough to say: ‘Yeah we were very close, we competed so well, we were better than them for most of the game’.

“It has to hurt because if not it will happen again. We have to make more things and have more availability and we have to have more options. That’s the next step.”