Hancko also added that coming up against Arsenal’s captain, Bukayo Saka, on the night was a big challenge.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Atlético Madrid defender, David Hancko, was full of praise for Arsenal after they annihilated his team at the Emirates Stadium during a UEFA Champions League (UCL) game on Tuesday night.
The lively European encounter was goalless at half-time, but the Gunners scored four goals in 13 second-half minutes to pull well clear of the La Liga team.
Gabriel Magalhães opened the scoring in the 56th minute with a header, before Gabriel Martinelli finished off a fine move to make it 2-0.
Viktor Gyökeres subsequently capped off the brilliant performance with a brace to complete the 4-0 rout.
Reacting to the defeat after the match, Hancko admitted it was a tough game for him and his teammates.
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He noted that coming up against Arsenal’s captain on the night, Bukayo Saka, was a big challenge, adding that they were in the game until they were “blown away” in the second half.
He said, “It was a very tough game. You can expect this because they’re one of the best teams in the world right now – definitely.
“Personally I was up against Bukayo [Saka], which is always a big challenge. It was close at half-time, we were able to defend their set pieces and they’re the best in the world at them right now.
“In the second half, suddenly they went 1-0 up, from a set piece. Suddenly in five minutes it was 3-0. It just shows you how good they are, you cannot stop even for one second.
“We are really disappointed that we were not able to get a better result and now the 4-0 looks really bad.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s next Champions League fixture is against Slavia Prague on November 4, while Atlético Madrid will look to bounce back against Union Saint-Gilloise.
Both teams return to domestic action at the weekend, with Mikel Arteta’s side facing Crystal Palace and Atlético travelling to Real Betis.
