Bukayo Saka reacts to ‘monster’ Jurrien Timber message as Arsenal dump Real Madrid
Jurrien Timber has attracted major reactions on social media after Arsenal’s stunning 2-1 win to dump holders Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
The Gunners’ made the last four of the competition for the first time since 2009 and only the third time in their history after a 5-1 aggregate victory over the Spanish giants.
Led by the returning Bukayo Saka, who earlier in the match saw his Panenka penalty saved, the visitors in front went with an excellent lofted finish over Thibaut Courtois from the England star.
Real Madrid were given a lifeline in the tie moment later, as William Saliba was robbed of possession by Vinicius Junior for a simple equaliser.
However, Arsenal looked well versed throughout and got their reward through Gabriel Martinelli, after Mikel Merino found him in behind for the Brazilian to curl home in the 93rd minute.
Jurrien Timber’s message to the Arsenal fans after stunning win
In a message from Timber’s official instagram account on Wednesday (16 April), the right-back said: “Hope you enjoyed that gunners, on to the semis! Thank you Jesus!”.
The pick of the replies in the comment section were from Arsenal teammates, as Saka called him a “monster” while Merino said “Beast!!!”.
Following Aston Villa’s narrow 5-4 defeat on aggregate at the hands of PSG, it means Arsenal will welcome the French side to the Emirates on Tuesday 29 April, before travelling to the Parc des Princes eight days later.
All eyes on the semi-final for Mikel Arteta’s men
Football Insider Verdict
It was a special night for Arsenal in Madrid and one which they did not let the talk before the match take over.
At times under Mikel Arteta, his side have played too much into the emotional aspect when approaching the biggest games, often leading to mistakes or going down to ten men.
However, they were not overwhelmed by the hostile atmosphere at the Bernabéu, and showed signs of a team which have learned from their quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich last year.
| Timber’s stats for Arsenal 24/25 |
| Games – 45 |
| Minutes – 3,424 |
| Goals – 2 |
| Assists – 3 |
Timber‘s role in shutting out Vinicius across the tie should not be underestimated, as the 23-year-old has consistently proven his reliability, playing 3,424 minutes since returning from an ACL injury.
The Dutch defender will be asked to execute a similar task in the next round as he will likely face off against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with Arsenal looking to go one step further and make the final in Munich.