21 February 2024 at 22:57
Porto decided in overtime against Arsenal
For a long time it looked like it would end goalless in the round of 16 between Porto and Arsenal in the Champions League, but four minutes into extra time, Porto’s winger Wenderson Galeno scored the winning goal in beautiful fashion.
Thus the Portuguese won 1-0 at home at Estadio do Dragao.
The winning goal in overtime must have tasted extra good for Galeno, because after a poor start to the match, he had two gigantic opportunities to send the home team into the lead after 21 minutes.
The Brazilian miraculously managed to put the ball wide from a few meters on both occasions.
Arsenal and Martin Ødegaard controlled most of the game in the first half, and had many set pieces. Nevertheless, they struggled to convert it into big chances.
Thus it was goalless at the break.
The second half was no fireworks of a football match either.
Porto have shown themselves to be very stingy on their own turf recently, and had not conceded a goal in five games before tonight’s game.
It was also clear on Wednesday that this Porto team is not easy to score against.
Both teams had what can be called “almost opportunities”, but struggled to create the big ones.
That was until Galeno took matters into his own hands and curled the ball into the far corner from 20 metres. At the same time, he sent the home fans to heaven.
– It was a perfectly executed football match by Porto against one of the big form teams in Europe, said Norway’s national team manager Ståle Solbakken in the TV2 studio after the match.
Arsenal, who are in the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time since 2017, must therefore win the second leg in London on March 12 to advance to the quarter-finals.
In the evening’s second match in the Champions League, it ended 1-1 between Napoli and Barcelona. Strikers Victor Osimhen and Robert Lewandowski accounted for the scores in the round of 16 final.
Leo Østigård sat on the bench for the entire match for Napoli.