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Arsenal banished the echoes of old vulnerabilities at the Emirates on Tuesday night when they survived a nail-biting, fractious extra-time and penalties ordeal against FC Porto and finally conquered the curse that had turned them into the kings of second round exits in the Champions League.
Wild scenes of celebration erupted around the stadium when David Raya dived to his left to save Porto’s fourth penalty from Galeno and ensure that Arsenal, who had scored each of their first four kicks, could not be caught. Raya had also saved from Wendell earlier in the shoot-out.
Arsenal’s last seven appearances in the competition had ended in the round of 16 but not this time. It was a far from convincing performance but after the tie had finished level at 1-1, Mikel Arteta’s side held their nerve at the last and they now join their Premier League title rivals Manchester City, and Real Madrid, Barcelona and the rest in the last eight.
The hopes and fears of so many years had hung heavily over the Emirates on a dank evening in north London. It was a night laden with memories of past glories for FC Porto and of past failings for Arsenal, a night when two teams came to fight to make amends and shoot for immortality.
It was 20 years ago this week when Porto went to Old Trafford for the second leg of another last 16 tie, trying to protect a one goal lead, just as they were trying to protect it at the Emirates.
It was 20 years ago when they stunned Manchester United with a last-gasp equaliser and their manager, Jose Mourinho, who was about to be catapulted to superstardom, ran from the bench and slid down the touchline on his knees.
Porto won the tournament that year so their hopes of matching that achievement this year are forlorn. Arsenal’s target was not quite as daunting. It had been 14 years since they last qualified even for the last eight of this competition.
To have been eliminated at the second round stage more than any other side – including in their last seven successive appearances – is not the kind of record anyone wants to set and it stung them like history’s rebuke as they ran out in front of their fans.
Brazilian winger Galeno had scored for Sergio Conceicao’s side deep into added time at the end of the first leg in Porto last month to add some unexpected jeopardy to this tie but Arsenal’s fans were so confident of progressing, outwardly at least, that they popularised the hashtag ‘pray for Porto’ on social media.
‘This stadium is going to have the energy that you have never seen in your life because we haven’t done it for 14 years,’ Arteta said before the game. These are heady times for his team as they gear up for the final stages of their attempt to win their first domestic title for 20 years and the crowd responded with the ardour Arteta demanded.
Arteta had started with Trossard on the left of the front three because Gabriel Martinelli was still absent with a foot injury and was seen at the stadium before the game on crutches. It is thought he will be out for at least two weeks but then it is 19 days until Arsenal play again.
To no one’s great surprise, Porto massed their defence at the start and soaked up Arsenal’s pressure. Bukayo Saka brought an awkward save out of Diogo Costa with a fierce low shot, Martin Odegaard fired just wide and Ben White headed over the bar. Porto looked as if they were prepared for a long night of resistance.
Midway through the half, Porto provided Arsenal with a reminder that they would not be content just to sit back. Evanilson got the ball on the edge of home side’s area and curled his shot round Gabriel. David Raya flung himself to his left to push the ball away. The stadium went a little quiet for the first time.
Suddenly, Arsenal began to look a little more tentative. Their body language changed. Jorginho berated his teammates for a lack of urgency, Arteta grew more animated on the touchline, the Porto fans made more noise, the Arsenal supporters became more frustrated with Porto’s ability to eat the clock.
Arsenal came close to breaking the deadlock after half an hour when Ben White lofted a delicate chip to the back post where Kai Havertz was lurking. Pepe, Porto’s veteran skipper, showed an agility that belied his 41 years, leaping high to get the faintest touch on the ball, which skimmed off his forehead and eluded Havertz.
The creeping sense of unease was heightened when William Saliba was booked for dragging down Galeno as the Brazilian winger spun past him but then, four minutes before half time the moment of catharsis came.
Trossard and Odegaard exchanged passes on the edge of the Porto area before Odegaard threaded a brilliant through ball inside the full back into the path of the Belgium winger. Trossard took it on his right foot and placed it precisely past Diogo Costa so that it nestled just inside the far post.
The last Arsenal player to score in the knock out stages of the Champions League was Theo Walcott and he was sitting in the press box at the Emirates watching the new breed try to build on the Trossard goal that had brought them level in the tie.
Porto responded by redoubling their time-wasting tactics at the start of the second half. Evanilson attempted an overhead kick and then lay prone in the Arsenal area as play continued. To the fury of the home crowd, the French referee Clement Turpin called a halt in play.
Arsenal thought they had the second goal they needed midway through the half when Odegaard lifted a neat finish into an empty net but the referee ruled the goal out because Havertz had tugged Pepe back by the shirt in the build-up. In the ensuing furore, Arteta was booked for suggesting VAR should review the decision.
The atmosphere grew febrile again as the minutes ticked down. Porto fed on it. They could sense Arsenal’s nerves and their inexperience at this stage of the competition. Not that they were immune to histrionics. When a decision went against his team, Sergio Conceicao lost his temper so spectacularly on the touchline that he, too, was booked.
Gabriel Jesus came on eight minutes from the end and nearly scored with his first touch. He tried to squeeze his shot under the body of Diogo Costa but it cannoned off the goalkeeper’s backside and bounced into the side-netting.
The volume cranked up. Odegaard urged the crowd to make even more noise. Diogo Costa beat away a shot by Saka and Odegaard pulled the rebound just wide. Arsenal threw everything they could at Porto as extra time approached but the breakthrough just would not come. It was down to David Raya and the penalty shoot-out.
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.
