After drawing 1–1 away against Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli spoke to TNT Sports Brazil.

“Alright everyone, we’re now joined by Gabriel Martinelli. Considering the conditions here, especially the intense atmosphere created by the Atlético Madrid fans—almost like a Copa Libertadores vibe—would you say this draw is a satisfying result, Gabriel?

Well, of course we wanted to leave with a better result, which means a win, right? We came here with the intention and determination to win, but honestly, we could have done better on the pitch. Still, even though we didn’t perform at our best, I think the draw is a fair result. Now we need to train hard for Tuesday’s match—the second leg at home. It’s definitely going to be another tough game. Like you said, the atmosphere they created was incredible, really like the Libertadores. It was a fantastic contest, and now we go back home to fight for a place in the final.

I assume you and your teammates have already seen the replay of that penalty involving Eze that was overturned by VAR. Can you understand why that decision was made?

To be honest, everyone who saw that moment thought it was a penalty. Yes, but we can’t say too much or we might risk suspension. VAR is there to make these kinds of decisions, and all we can do is give everything on the pitch. But for us, that was definitely a penalty—no doubt about it.

I don’t know if you watched yesterday’s other Champions League semi-final. Which match do you think was more entertaining?

Well, of course, the game with more goals is always more entertaining! For us attacking players, high-scoring matches are much more enjoyable. So I’d say yesterday’s game was more of a goal fest and more fun to watch. As for our match, we came here to give everything. We didn’t get the win we wanted, but like I said, there’s still the second leg, and we’ll give it our all to make sure we reach the final.

Last question, about the World Cup and the Brazil national team. The final squad announcement on the 18th is getting closer, and unfortunately we’ve already seen some injuries, right Gabriel? What’s your mindset at this stage? You’ll obviously give everything to be selected, but do you also have to be extra careful to avoid injuries?

Of course, we feel for our injured teammates—they’re all our good friends: Rodrygo, Militão, Estevão, and others who are also in London now. It’s really heartbreaking. We all know how much work everyone puts in every single day to earn a place in the national team and play in the World Cup.

Yes, we’ll give everything on the pitch while also doing our best with recovery. But some things are out of our control. Sometimes you can just step the wrong way and get injured—it happens. These are things we can’t control. But we’ll definitely give our all in training and matches, while also hoping for a bit of luck and taking care of our bodies as best as possible, so we can be at 100% for the challenge.”