Arsenal survived a second leg scare coming from behind to claim a 2-2 draw at CSKA Moscow to secure their progress into the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Roma produced an amazing comeback to overturn a three-goal deficit to knock out Barcelona in the Champions League. Juventus also came back from three down against Real Madrid, before losing to a late controversial penalty, but the drama of those European nights alone meant Arsenal knew their 4-1 first leg lead wasn't 100% safe.
Although I was still fairly confident we would progress, even after CSKA Moscow took a 2-0 lead, we didn't half make hard work of it.
Apart from a few half chances neither side really created much in the first half an hour of the game. CSKA Moscow midfielder Kristijan Bistrovic sent a long-range shot wide, while at the other end Alexandre Lacazette's strike was excellent blocked behind for a corner by Aleksei Berezutski.
A decent move down the right very nearly led to an opening for Arsenal, but Danny Welbeck's low cross was just inches away from finding Aaron Ramsey at the back post.
CSKA Moscow broke the deadlock six minutes before the break when Petr Cech got down well to superbly parry Kirill Nababkin's towering header, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to prevent Fedor Chalov from reacting first to tap in from the rebound.
The hosts tried to increase their lead just before half-time, but Bistrovic's first-time effort sailed just off target.
Ramsey went off for treatment as Arsenal played with 10 men for a few minutes and the Welsh midfielder was then involved in a penalty appeal for the hosts. Aleksandr Golovin, who scored in the first leg, saw his cross hit Ramsey, but it came off his arm not his hand and there wasn't much he could have done about it either.
CSKA Moscow doubled their advantage and moved to within one goal of completing the turnaround after 50 minutes. Golovin's shot from distance was parried by Cech, who should've done better with it, and Nababkin pounced at the far post to bury the rebound.
Although I felt fairly confident we could score a goal, I knew it was now very much game on and I was very aware how leaky our defence could be and the tie was far from over.
Golovin nearly added a third for the hosts, but his free-kick was parried behind for a corner by Cech.
Arsenal tried to hit back, but Mohamed Elneny saw his header ruled out for offside before Mesut Ozil's shot was blocked.
Those misses could have proved more costly had Sergei Ignashevich not sent a powerful shot just wide.
The nerves were eased when Welbeck reduced the deficit and put the Gunners back in more firm control of the tie 15 minutes from time. A good passing move set up Welbeck to expertly turn his man and run towards the box. The forward then exchanged passes with Elneny before clipping a composed finish beyond goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev.
Arsenal really should have levelled the score on the night two minutes from time, but substitute Alex Iwobi dragged his shot wide when it looked easier to score.
Ozil and Ramsey combined to set up Welbeck soon after, but the England striker was denied by an excellent parry from Akinfeev.
Arsenal managed to find an equaliser in stoppage time to secure their passage into the final four - Elneny raced forward from near his own box before releasing Ramsey with a through ball, and the Welshman calmly finished a one-on-one with Akinfeev.
THE SEMI-FINALS
There is no denying we made hard work of the second leg, but we did what mattered and still qualified into the semi-final.
Whoever we face in the final four, sandwiched either side of a trip to Manchester United, is going to be tough, but we are now just two games away from the final so are still in with a chance.
Unlike most Arsenal fans I would rather draw Atletico Madrid in the semi-final rather than avoid them. Yes, they are favourites for the competition and would be a very tough opposition to face, but I think I'd rather play them sooner than in the final.
It would be hard whichever round we played them in, but I think in the final would be that extra bit more difficult, so let's get them out the way sooner and give it our best shot.
Our opponents will be one of Atletico Madrid, Marseille or Red Bull Salzburg and the latter deserve a big mention for their incredible quarter-final comeback. If you thought Roma's comeback was great, look what the Austrian side did. Okay, it wasn't against the might of Barcelona, but after losing the first leg at Lazio 4-2 they certainly had an uphill task. They also conceded the first goal of the second leg, but after an almost instant equaliser it was game on. Three goals in four minutes ultimately secured the win for Salzburg and what a superb comeback it was.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
We've done our part, albeit we made hard work of it, to reach the semi-final and we'll have to see who we end up with in the draw and make sure we produce two great performances against them.
Winning the Europa League is our best chance of getting Champions League football back so whoever we face in the semi-finals it is a massively important tie.
Once Friday's draw is out of the way we must forget about the Europa League for a while and focus our attentions on the trip to Newcastle.
If we can win at Newcastle and beat West Ham at home then we'll be heading into the first leg of the semi-final in good form, but I am certainly taking nothing for granted as anything could happen.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
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