Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Wednesday bemoaned his team’s lack of cutting edge as Galeno’s sublime stoppage-time goal earned Porto a 1-0 win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Appearing in their first knockout match in Europe’s premier club competition in seven years, Arsenal struggled to break down an organized Porto defense before Galeno’s stroke of brilliance in the 94th minute.
The defeat ended Arsenal’s eight-game unbeaten run against Portuguese opposition and left the Gunners with plenty of work to do in the return leg in London on March 12.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We lacked threat. We lacked aggression, especially when we had the ball in the final third,” Arteta told TNT Sports. “So we will tweak a few things to attack better. We can do better.”
Arsenal last made it to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2010, when they beat Porto in the last 16, but it is the Portuguese club who now have the upper hand.
“I think it’s a team that’s very well-organized defensively and they break your rhythm all the time,” Arteta said. “We want to be in the quarter-finals, you have to beat your opponent and this is what we have to do at the Emirates.”
Arsenal failed to register a single shot on target as their recent goal spree came to a shuddering halt.
“When it’s 0-0, you look up at the clock and it’s 93 minutes gone, if you aren’t going to win the game then don’t lose it,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. “It’s a real kick in the teeth, because we’ve conceded late, but we know what to do. We’re not going to let our heads drop.”
Arteta stuck with the same starting lineup for the third game in succession following his team’s 5-0 demolition of Burnley at the weekend.
Porto defender Pepe, who turns 41 next week and is the oldest outfield player in Champions League history, made his 119th appearance in the competition. By comparison, Arsenal’s starters had combined for a total of 104 before kickoff at Estadio do Dragao.
While short on Champions League experience, Arteta has said his squad have the belief that they can mix it with Europe’s best.
The Gunners have started this year with five successive wins in the Premier League, scoring 21 goals in those games, and are firmly in the race for a first title in two decades. As well as reigning supreme in England for the first time since 2004, the north Londoners are convinced that they can also conquer Europe, spurred on further by the prospect of a Wembley final.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League, losing their only final appearance against Barcelona in 2006.
Porto, European champions in 1987 and 2004, are a disappointing third in Portugal this term, but they frustrated Arsenal throughout. They were happy to cede possession and allow Arsenal to dictate the tempo in the first half, but it was the hosts who created the best chance.
Francisco Conceicao darted in from the right and slid over a cross that looped off a sliding Gabriel, with Galeno rifling against the far post and then steering the rebound wide after the ball came right back to him.
William Saliba and Kai Havertz headed wide at corners either side of a Nico Gonzalez drive that sailed over in a physical opening 45 minutes.
Leandro Trossard, deployed again as the leader of the attack alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, lashed over on the volley from Rice’s driven corner early in the second half.
Arteta made his lone change with a quarter of an hour left, replacing Trossard with Jorginho, but Arsenal’s lack of a prolific striker was exposed and they were ultimately undone by a moment of magic from Galeno.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
RSS