- Arsenal London are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a 4-2 defeat at home over Porto.
- The “Gunners” had previously equalized the 0-1 defeat in the first leg in regular time, but no more goals were scored in extra time.
- In the other Tuesday game, Barcelona prevailed in a duel with Napoli.
David Raya has been the big Arsenal hero since Tuesday evening. The Spaniard, who was only taken on loan from Brentford in the summer, saved the attempts of the Brazilians Wendell and Galeno in the penalty shootout of the second leg of the round of 16 and thus secured his team’s place in the Champions League quarter-finals. This is because all four Arsenal shooters hit the mark at the same time.
The fact that a penalty shootout had to be decided at all is anything but normal in the Champions League. The last such decision in the premier class came in the final of the 2015/16 season, when Real Madrid prevailed against Atletico in the city duel.
CL and Premier League are two worlds
Arsenal earned their way through thanks to a stable performance over 120 minutes – although the Gunners were never able to match their recent outstanding performances in the Premier League, where they are still unbeaten in 2024 and have a goal difference of 33:4.
It was rarely really dangerous in front of Porto keeper Diogo Costa’s goal at the Emirates Stadium. Captain Martin Odegaard provided the only highlight in the first half with a fine pass to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian used the template with a well-considered finish to make it 1-0 (41st).
Otherwise, a lot of things remained patchy, especially in the last third of the attack. The supposed 2-0 by Odegaard 20 minutes before the end didn’t count because it was preceded by a foul. Gabriel Jesus’ shot shortly before the end, which Diogo Costa was able to fend off, was preceded by a “muddle”.
Arsenal finally back in the top 8
Because Porto, who had taken a lead into the second leg thanks to a goal by Galeno in the 94th minute, did not fully go on the offensive, a tough game developed with few highlights. During the entire extra time, the teams did not have any significant scenes.
The “Gunners” fans probably don’t care how their team made it to the CL quarter-finals. With Tuesday’s win, Arsenal ended a 14-year losing streak. They haven’t been among the top 8 teams in Europe since the 2009/10 season or 14 years. Back then, too, Porto was knocked out of the race after a first-leg defeat.
This is how it continues
It is not yet clear which opponent Arsenal will face in the round of the last eight. The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals will take place next Friday in Nyon.