Arsenal are through to their first Champions League quarter-final since 2010 after squeezing past Porto on penalties on an excruciatingly tense night at the Emirates Stadium.
David Raya was the hero, saving spot kicks from Wendell and Galeno to ensure the London club, pristine with their own four penalties, avoided an eighth successive elimination in the last 16 of this competition after the hosts’ 1-0 win on the night left the tie all square 1-1 on aggregate.
Mikel Arteta’s side, who lost the first leg 1-0 in Portugal, had struggled to break down disciplined opponents until finally restoring parity in the tie four minutes from the interval. Martin Odegaard’s wonderful shimmy away from two Porto players and pass inside Joao Mario liberated Leandro Trossard, whose finish was precise into the far corner.
Yet that was a moment of brilliance amid plenty of huff and puff. Odegaard had a goal disallowed after half-time following a Kai Havertz tug on Pepe’s shirt in the build-up, but the hosts still laboured to break down Sergio Conceicao’s impressive team and the tie edged through an extra half hour and into a penalty shoot-out.
Art de Roche and Mark Carey analyse a fiercely contested occasion.
Why did Arsenal struggle to impose themselves?
Compared with the four-, five- and six-goal scorelines that Arsenal have rattled up for fun in the Premier League since the turn of the year, a more attritional game seems rather anomalous for Arteta’s side.
In 2024, the games have been free-flowing. The performances have been suffocating. So what has been different across both legs against Porto? Well, sometimes you simply need to credit the opponents.
Pepe snaps into a challenge on Declan Rice (Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Many fans might have thought that a tie against Sergio Conceicao’s side was among the easier clashes in the round of 16, but Porto’s performances this season have been built on a strong defensive foundation in all competitions — averaging just 0.68 goals conceded per 90 in the Primeira Liga, which is comfortably the best defensive record in Portugal.
Just as they were in the first leg last month, Porto were disciplined, well-drilled, and regimented — led by their 41-year-old captain Pepe, whose leadership, experience and continued professionalism knows no bounds.
Porto frustrated Arsenal for long periods. Their 4-5-1 block was rarely penetrated, and it took a world-class pass from the hosts’ captain Odegaard to finally put Arsenal on the scoreboard after 130 minutes of trying in this tie.
That was the only time Arsenal were able to force the ball past Diogo Costa across two games, plus extra time, before the shootout. Arsenal did not perform to their maximum, but Porto more than played their part in frustrating them across both legs.
Mark Carey
Step forward Martin Odegaard
Porto deserve credit for slowing down the tempo in the first half tonight, but that is when you need players to step up.
The collective gasp of appreciation from the Emirates’ crowd when Odegaard slipped his pass inside Joao Mario to assist Trossard for what proved the only goal of the night was acknowledgement of a player seizing the moment.
The Arsenal captain has been in great playmaking form since December and has created more chances from open play (62) than any player in the top five European leagues. But that sumptuous final ball was not the only eye-catching moment supplied by the 25-year-old Norwegian.
His touches and body feints away from pressure, and his ball manipulation in tight areas, are what separate him from so many players.
It took Odegaard’s excellence to open Porto up (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
As captain, he also took responsibility to put pressure on the Porto back line, haring forward when defenders were on the ball and back when midfielders took up possession.
His desire to lead also saw him display good presence of mind to calm Declan Rice down while the England international became embroiled in a heated argument with Otavio. Rice was a booking away from a suspension, so keeping him level-headed was vital in that moment.
To cap it all, Odegaard chose to have the penalties taken at the North Bank, the opposite end to where Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League at this stage by another Portuguese club, Sporting Lisbon, last season, then sent Costa the wrong way to set the tone of the shootout.
Art de Roche
Raya proves his worth
As soon as this tie went to extra time, we were all preparing for the tension that penalties bring — remarkably, the first shootout in the Champions League since the 2016 final between Real Madrid and neighbours Atletico.
Odegaard led by example, stepping up to take the opening penalty, which he duly converted. After Porto’s Pepe converted their first one, Havertz exuded calm on Arsenal’s second with a stuttering run-up to slide the ball past Costa as he dove to his opposite side.
Then came the first save. Wendell stepped up with a confident run-up, but Raya guessed right and athletically flicked the left-back’s effort onto the post with his fingertips.
Raya saves the decisive penalty (Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
With Bukayo Saka and Rice scoring their subsequent efforts with typical conviction, the pressure mounted for each Porto player. Galeno, the match-winning hero of the first leg, had to score.
The shot was good, but the save was better. Raya dived to his left and got two strong hands on the Brazilian’s effort.
Cue bedlam from the Arsenal faithful.
Mark Carey
Arteta’s players having to learn on the hoof
Arsenal’s players and staff would have been under no illusions about the task at hand with Porto. This is a squad Arteta has made young by design and nights like this are a key part of their education.
In the first leg, Havertz was the only member of the Arsenal XI to have previously started a knockout game in the Champions League. In the return at the Emirates Stadium, Jorginho added his calming presence, but the collective inexperience was still evident.
William Saliba and Saka have arguably been their most consistent players this season, but both struggled to truly settle. Whether it be loose touches in possession or a nervousness to bring down aerial balls, this was a different game to everything they are used to.
For Saka and his team-mates, a rare Champions League knockout tie was an education (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Jorginho showed his craft at different points in the game, using his body well to win fouls and guiding Saka on which runs to make, but collectively that know-how still needs developing.
With the majority of the squad in their early or mid twenties, that will surely come with more exposure at this level.
Art de Roche
What does this mean for Arsenal’s season?
Arsenal will be grateful their meeting with Chelsea initially scheduled for this weekend has been postponed due to their opponents’ involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals instead. Arteta only used one of his substitutions in the first 90 minutes here and another intense game in such quick succession could have represented a mountain to climb.
Champions League progression will mean they now have midweek games ahead of their league matches against Aston Villa and Wolves next month. These weeks will be an even bigger challenge for Arsenal in regards to how Arteta chooses to use his squad.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were both given an opportunity to take further steps back in their returns from injury on Tuesday, which should bode well for the coming weeks. They also have Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who will now have the two-week international break to regain more fitness.
The energy that comes from such a dramatic win should also galvanise a squad who have ridden through very possibly their toughest test of the season so far.
Momentum is with this side.
Art de Roche
What did Mikel Arteta say?
“It’s been 14 years (without being in the Champions League’s last eight) – a long time for a club like Arsenal. We had to dig in today, and find the magic moment. This is what the Emirates was built for. It hasn’t had nights like this before. In the stadium, we were all pushing to get it done, and we did it. This is where we want to be, and we worked so hard.
“It was really difficult, Porto are a really competitive team. You don’t get time to control the game, but we scored a goal in a really important moment. We didn’t have many chances, but we managed to do it! They (his players) feel like they can be winners. They will feel they can go to the next stage. The fans have got their Arsenal back again. They made us win, as simple as that.”
Asked what this win means for the title race, Arteta said: “It means momentum. Arsenal can go to Manchester City (their next game at the end of the month) full of confidence. We know it’s the lion’s den and they are the ultimate team. It would have been a downer if we’d lost, but this keeps ticking along beautifully. A really big night here.”
What next for Arsenal?
Sunday, March 31: Manchester City (A), Premier League, 4:30pm GMT, 11:30am ET
It’s the big one as Arsenal travel to the champions in a game that could have a big say in the destiny of this season’s title.
Arsenal’s last victory at the Etihad Stadium came in January 2015, when Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud scored in a 2-0 win. However, they did end a 12-game losing streak to City in the league in October (1-0).
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(Top photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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