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 on Thursday. Wenger's 250th European fixture with Arsenal also to proved to be his last, decided by a typically ruthless finish from Costa, who delivered the sort of barnstorming display defenders must have nightmares about.
Arsenal's defence, fragile and nervous throughout, were particularly 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. For all his domestic achievements, Wenger will also depart without a European trophy to his name and it remains to be seen how sitting outside the continent's premier tournament will affect Arsenal's pursuit of a new coach, and players, this summer.
"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. "It doesn't look very good, it's his Achilles," Wenger said. "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. "To be important, to lead from the front. This side needs an aggressive striker and that's exactly what he is."
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