Mikel Arteta is set to face the press after his side’s Champions League round of 16 second leg clash with FC Porto at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners came into the game knowing they would need to overturn a 1-0 deficit after a late defeat at Estadio do Dragao in the first leg. Sensing this the home fans were fully on board with helping their team turn the tie around and the game began in a raucous atmosphere.
Porto did well to ride the early momentum that garnered chances for Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard though. In fact they were able to generate a few chances of their own through Evanlison and Galeno on the counter.
Eventually though, Arsenal got the breakthrough when Leandro Trossard provided a superb finish to Odegaard’s defence-splitting pass in behind the disciplined Porto back line five minutes before the break.
The second half continued with same cagey tone but just after the hour mark Arsenal appeared to have made the break through when Odegaard tapped home after a defensive mix up. The goal was controversially disallowed though as Kai Havertz was adjudged to have fouled Pepe in the build up.
There was then nothing to separate the two sides as the match continued cagily into extra time. Arteta was reluctant to use his subs waiting until the second half of extra time to bring on Alex Zinchenko and Eddie Nketiah having only brought on Gabriel Jesus in normal time.
Still as the game went to penalties it was Arsenal who ultimately came out on top. David Raya was the hero making two saves to send the Gunners into the Champions League quarter finals for the first time since 2010.
You can hear everything Arteta has to say on all that and much more with football.london‘s chief Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak in our live blog below.
23:29Kaya Kaynak
Arteta on his young squad
For them to do it when the club hasn’t done it for 14 years that tells you the difficulty. They are willing to sacrifice anything to win. When you play that way you’re going to be rewarded.
23:29Kaya Kaynak
Arteta on the game
A magic night. We expected a really tough opponent. It’s very difficult to generate momentum and that’s credit to them. It’s a huge experience for us. We had to do it as well through penalties. Credit to David who had some difficult moments to start but showed incredible determination and stood up and got rewarded.
23:10Kaya Kaynak
“This means everything”
David Raya speaking to TNT Sports:
“Obviously it’s a great feeling for me personally, first time in the Champions League and for the club to get into the quarter-finals for the first time in so many years.
“We played a really good game from the start. We dominated, created chances and it went down to penalties. We’ve worked a lot on penalties this year and all the hard work with the goalie coach and the team has paid off.
“A great moment personally and collectively. I’m over the moon to save two penalties in the Champions League to get through to the quarter-finals. They made it so difficult over there, they played their game, but we scored the goal we needed and it went down to penalties and it was a crazy moment.
“Apart from physically from the boys, mentally it’s difficult, but especially for me to be focused every second, you can’t switch off.
“This means everything. You play football for these kind of things and I’m lucky to be playing for Arsenal, to be in the Champions League and to get through to the quarter-finals. We’re just going to enjoy the night.”
22:57Kaya Kaynak
Player ratings
David Raya absolutely sublime in the shootout, while Jakub Kiwior was my MOTM in normal time. Close run with Martin Odegaard. Tough night for Saliba and Zinchenko but all will be forgiven.
Read Kaya Kaynak’s full Arsenal player ratings here.
22:57Kaya Kaynak
Welcome
Hello and welcome to football.london‘s coverage of Mikel Arteta’s press conference after Arsenal’s Champions League round of 16 victory over Porto on penalties!
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
