Arsenal is back. After 14 years of absence, the team from London returns to a quarter-final draw. They suffered… and how. Trossard’s goal equalized the tie, but it was David Raya who won it in the penalty shootout. The Spanish international saved two penalties (against Wendell and Galeno) to qualify Arteta’s team.
It was a do-or-die match. Arsenal arrived as the Premier League leaders and in an impressive form… but they stumbled three weeks ago at Do Dragao (1-0) on a forgettable night. They had to come back for the ‘gunners’ to make history and return to the Champions League quarter-finals: a stage they hadn’t reached since the 2009-10 season.
But Porto is a tough team. Very tough. The ‘Dragons’ always compete under Sergio Conceiao. And today, in London, it wasn’t going to be any different. They did. Although Arsenal struck first. It was Leandro Trossard who made it 1-0 to level the tie. The Belgian’s goal came just before halftime after a wonderful play from Odegaard.
However, reaching the 1-0 lead hadn’t been easy. Porto had several clear chances through Evanilson, and David Raya had to stretch to his limit. With Taremi on the bench, the Brazilian was the focal point of the attacks from the northern Portuguese side. Galeno in the first leg, this Tuesday it was his turn. Meanwhile, on the English side, it was Saka who responded. Him and Odegaard. The best of an Arsenal side that went into halftime having fulfilled the goal that broke the Portuguese resistance.
Odegaard’s goal disallowed
With the tie level and the goal scored, Arsenal loosened up. They completely dominated the game and subjected Porto, who nonetheless defended well. It wasn’t the match with the most saves for Diogo Costa. It wasn’t necessary. But things heated up, and controversy ensued. Turpin disallowed a goal from Odegaard for a previous foul by Havertz on Pepe. And there, the game changed.
Porto improved, and Arsenal took a step back. Arteta, meanwhile, received a yellow card on the sidelines for protesting. Conceiao tested Raya again with a shot from outside the box that the Spanish keeper saved in two attempts. Extra time was starting to loom.
Extra time… and penalties
And it eventually came. Diogo Costa saved the clearest chance with a good hand to a shot from the edge of the box. Odegaard wasn’t accurate on the rebound. It was a back-and-forth game with Porto threatening on the counter-attack… but no more goals in regular time. There would be 30 extra minutes.
The clearest chance after the restart of the match came from Taremi. A good move by the Iranian in the ‘gunner’ area and a shot, however, slightly off target. The game was in the final minutes of tension. As the extra time arrived, either side could win it. The ‘gunners’ had more possession, but the ‘Dragons’ showed no fear, and Pepe stood tall in defense at the age of 41.
But the penalty hero was David Raya. The Spanish goalkeeper made two miraculous saves to ‘rescue’ the Premier League team and avoid an upset at the Emirates. The first, against Wendell; the second, against Galeno. Both diving to his left side. His teammates delivered… and Arsenal will be in the Champions League quarter-final draw after a 14-year absence.
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