Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his deep disappointment after losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final and remains convinced that his side are the best team in the competition this season.

In the two-legged battle, Arsenal created a cumulative expected goal value (xG) of 4.77, but only scored one goal. Paris Saint-Germain eliminated the Gunners on aggregate with goals from Fabian Ruiz and Ashraf Hakimi, advancing to the final against Inter Milan.

Arsenal showed a strong attitude at the beginning of the game. Rice headed the ball wide after receiving Timber's cross, and then Odegaard and Martinelli's shots were saved by Donnarumma. In just five minutes, they created threats continuously, but they were unable to knock on the door of Paris. Missing the first opportunity also made them always in a state of chasing.

After the game, Arteta could not hide his regret: "From the games I saw, I don't think any team performed better than us."

"But we were eliminated. We deserved more, but this is the Champions League. It's about efficiency in the penalty area, strikers and goalkeepers, and their goalkeeper was the best player in both legs."

"I'm incredibly proud of the players. They deserve a lot of recognition considering the injuries we've had. We came here with our worst squad and the opponents had a full week off. We were in a completely different situation. But it's that context that makes me excited about the future."

Arteta said: "After I calm down, I will make a more comprehensive assessment. But from the reaction of their bench, I can feel that we are stronger than them."

"The other goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch for both legs. That was the key to the game. He turned the whole situation around. We were so close to winning and the score doesn't reflect our performance."

"I am very sad and I have to be sad. If we really want to win this tournament, we have to accept this pain. This is not just 'we are eliminated', but a profound lesson."