• Sunday, 22 December 2024
Arsenal beat Porto to reach UCL quarter-finals for the first time since 2010

Arsenal beat Porto to reach UCL quarter-finals for the first time since 2010

Arsenal reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010 after beating Porto in a penalty shootout following a night of tension at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners went into this last-16 second leg 1-0 down but drew level when Leandro Trossard put them ahead on the night four minutes before the interval with a smooth finish following brilliant work by captain Martin Odegaard.

A scrappy, fractious encounter failed to yield a winner even after extra time and it was Arsenal who held their nerve to go through to the last eight.

Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were all on target for Arsenal as David Raya saved from Wendell and Galeno to seal victory for Mikel Arteta's side amid scenes of wild celebration.

Arsenal only trailed to Galeno's last-gasp goal from the first game in Portugal, but it quickly became clear they would need to pass a stern test of character, temperament and patience against Sergio Conceicao's streetwise, experienced team.

Porto, defensively marshalled and organised by the evergreen 41-year-old Pepe, never allowed Arsenal to play with their usual fluency and Trossard's goal, created after superb footwork and a pass of precision from Odegaard, was a rare moment of weakness from the visitors' defence.

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