After years of waiting, Arsenal are only two games away from ending the team’s Champions League drought

Surprising as it might seem, considering all of their history and tradition, Arsenal - the third most successful English club in terms of silverware, have just two European titles adorning their trophy cabinet. And to add a little more context to that mind-boggling stat, both of the European trophies in the Gunners’ honors list are now defunct.

Arsenal were one of the last teams to win the Inter Cities Fairs Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup - lifting the former in 1970 and the latter in 1994.

In many ways, Arsenal’s fortunes in European competition mirrors that of the team they face later this evening for a place in this year’s Champions League final: Atlético Madrid.

Arsenal’s close shaves in Europe

In 42 European campaigns, there have been many near misses - the team has often been either eliminated in latter stages, the semi-finals or the final itself. The Gunners have made it to eight UEFA finals and lost six of them. Some of them were particularly traumatic - like the 1994–95 European Cup Winners’ Cup final against Zaragoza, lost in the last minute of extra-time to a freak 40-yard wondergoal by Nayim - an ex-Spurs player...

Coming within a whisker of winning the biggest European club competition of all, the Champions League, only to miss out, leaves scars that take time to heal. Both Arsenal and Atleti know how that feels.

Tears in Paris

In the 2005–06 Champions League, an Arsenal side managed by Arsène Wenger and packed with talent including Thierry Henry, Van Persie, Bergkamp, Cesc Fàbregas... among others came the closest to finally lifting ‘Ol’ Big Ears’. The team breezed through the group stage, finishing unbeaten, then eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal to reach the final, where they would face Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona.

Just a quarter of an hour into the game, disaster struck. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was ordered off for bringing down Samuel Eto’o on the edge of the box. Arsenal were down to 10 men with over an hour left to play. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Wenger’s team put up a good fight. Sol Campbell headed them in front just before half-time and the Gunners held on until Eto’o leveled with 15 minutes left on the clock. Minutes later, Juliano Belletti beat Alumnia at his near post to put Barca 2-1 up. Another defeat left Arsenal as one of three clubs to have played and lost finals in all three of UEFA’s major club tournaments.

Arsenal’s fortunes in the Champions League

Overall, Arsenal have taken part in UEFA’s premier club competition 24 times - twice in the old European Cup and 22 times in the Champions League. Of those, the team bowed out at the knockout stage nine times, and made it as far as the quarter finals on five occasions.

The Gunners have only reached the semi-finals twice - losing last year to the eventual champions, PSG. Maybe this time, luck will finally be on their side.

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