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Emirates Stadium, London
cnn
—
Yeah Arsenal Fans had forgotten how tense and exhausting the Champions League knockout stages, their memories will surely be refreshed after a thrilling 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Porto in the round of 16.
It had been seven years since the Gunners last played at this stage of European football’s premier competition – and 14 years since they last advanced to the quarter-finals – and there was a real sense of occasion inside the Emirates Stadium when The Champions League anthem sounded once again. in this part of North London.
Porto came in defending a 1-0 lead from the first leg, but Leandro Trossard pulled Arsenal level in the first half with a perfect finish after being found by a clever reverse pass from Martin Odegaard.
Despite pressure from Arsenal and opportunities for both teams, neither team could find the goal that would have won the tie and it ended 1-0 that night after extra time.
In the end, it was the Arsenal players who kept their cool to score all four penalties, as Brazilians Wendell and Galeno had their shots saved by the outstanding David Raya.
On a raucous night, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said this was probably the best atmosphere he had experienced at the Emirates Stadium since taking over as manager in 2019.
“They were incredible,” he said of the home fans, describing the night as “magical.”
The 3,000 traveling Porto fans packed into the famous corner of the Clock End stadium were in excellent voice more than an hour before kick-off, serenading their goalkeepers as they emerged from the tunnel for pre-match warm-ups.
The rest of the team received an even louder welcome when they emerged half an hour later, with evergreen captain Pepe, 41, leading the applause from the boisterous away fans.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had urged Gunners fans to “make noise” for the team’s first home tie in the Champions League since 2017 and they duly did so as the teams prepared for kick-off, packing out the north London sky with a roaring performance. of the club anthem, ‘North London Forever’.
There is a tangible belief among fans that this Arsenal team can make a lot of noise in this season’s competition, rather than simply being happy to be back in Europe’s premier tournament, but Tuesday’s game will be a stark reminder. of how brutal the Champions League can be. be.
It was Arsenal, as expected, who had the better early exchanges, but a poor header from defender William Saliba gave Porto striker Evanilson a chance which he swerved just wide of the far post from outside the area.
It was a reminder of the threat this Porto team possessed, if Arsenal still needed one after Galen’s late long-range strike in the first leg.
But it was a warning that Arsenal evidently did not heed as, just moments later, the defense gave Evanilson time in the penalty area to control a pass and shoot on goal, with only a clever save from Raya to keep level. of the marker.
Despite Arsenal’s initial dominance, Porto gradually rose to the occasion, but with five minutes left in the half, the visiting team’s good work in the first 40 minutes was undone.
Odegaard’s sublime pass found Trossard in space inside the box and the Belgian stroked the ball unerringly into the bottom corner of the net.
The Emirates, which had been seething with noise and expectation since long before kick-off, finally erupted.
That goal propelled Arsenal forward in the second half, although Porto seemed increasingly content to sit back and absorb the pressure.
The home team finally looked like they had taken the lead in the tie for the first time, when Pepe apparently got his feet tangled while defending a long ball, allowing Odegaard to slot the ball into the empty net.
However, the goal was disallowed after Kai Havertz ripped off Pepe’s shirt.
Arteta, who appeared to be covering as much ground as his players as he flitted around his technical area and shouted instructions, was outraged by the decision and received a yellow card for his protests.
“Live, I couldn’t understand it, but the referee made the decision, maybe there was something there,” Arteta told reporters after the match.
“I’m sure we’re not going to remember that and we’re going to remember that we did it in our own special way.”
Although defending was now undoubtedly Porto’s priority, the team still looked dangerous in their occasional forays forward with Francisco Conceição testing Raya with a low shot after a quick counterattack.
Arsenal continued to press and had chances to win the tie through Bukayo Saka and Odegaard, but it was inevitable that the tie would go to extra time.
After a fascinating 90 minutes, extra time was of little importance, with the climax coming when Havertz pushed Porto coach Sergio Conceição to spark a fight on the touchline.
Arsenal’s home advantage proved essential in the penalty shootout. Faced with a wall of noise and twirling red and white scarves, Wendell and Galeno were unable to maintain their concentration and missed penalties by the duo proved costly for Porto as Arsenal fans serenaded their manager with a final performance from ‘Super Mik Arteta’.
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