Gunning to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit, Arsenal welcomed FC Porto to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 clash on Tuesday night (March 12). The Gunners leveled the score on aggregate in the first half itself, but Porto refused to trail from open play. With the aggregate scoreline stubbornly sitting at 1-1 following a grueling 120-minute tango, the match went to penalties. David Raya, who started ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in this do-or-die encounter, showed his class, making two invaluable saves to push Arsenal into the final eight for the first time since 2010.
Martin Odegaard & Leandro Trossard Come Good For Arsenal In The First Half
Arsenal started well at the Emirates Stadium, dominating possession and keeping pressure on the visitors. Porto, to their credit, did superbly to weather the early storm. They defended in numbers, blocked passes and shots, and ensured Arsenal’s attackers did not have much room to run into. Over 30 odd minutes, the Gunners tried to break through, but they were obstructed, time and time again by Porto defenders.
The tie-leveler finally arrived in the 41st minute, owing to a brilliant bit of work from Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard and left-winger Leandro Trossard. The Norwegian did superbly to take the ball around Francisco Conceicao and then find the Belgian with a perfectly threaded through ball. The winger cut in from the left and dispatched a thumping shot to find the bottom-right corner of Porto’s goal.
Trossard ended the first half as the hosts’ most impactful forward. Not only did he find the back of the net with a fine strike, but he also created three chances — more than any other player on the pitch.
Champions League Shootout Hero David Raya Shows He Deserves To Be Gunners’ First-Choice Goalkeeper
Arsenal pushed hard for the go-ahead goal throughout the second half and extra time, but Porto refused to bow down. In the penalty shootout, however, they could not help but surrender to the heroics of Brentford loanee Raya.
After Kai Havertz gave Arsenal a 2-1 lead in the shootout, Brazilian attacker Wendell stepped up to level the scoreline. The Porto man hit it well, going right with his spot-kick. Raya, however, read his intentions and leaped to his left, pushing the shot onto the woodwork. The ball bounced off of him and went out of play.
Bukayo Saka, Marko Grujic, and Declan Rice dispatched the next three kicks, but Raya ensured Porto’s star man Wenderson Galeno would not join Pepe and Grujic on the scoresheet. The attacker dispatched a tired effort to the left side of Raya’s goal, allowing the Spaniard to make a straightforward save.
With the heroic Champions League performance under his belt, Raya has well and truly buried Ramsdale’s chances of establishing himself as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper.
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