In Arsenal’s first Champions League knockout tie since 2017, Porto and Galeno handed the Gunners a shocked returning party as the Brazilian winger struck at the end of injury time to give the Portuguese side a 1-0 lead heading to the second leg at the Emirates. Heading into this encounter, both teams were sitting pretty in 3rd place in their respective leagues, and many expected a close match between the sides. However, what transpired at the Estádio do Dragão was a single-sided affair for the home team, with Galeno and crew dominating proceedings against the timid away side.
Galeno Punished Unusually Toothless Arsenal
After scoring 21 goals in their last five Premier League games with 11 in their previous two away matches, the young Arsenal squad played like they were overwhelmed by the occasion as they failed to register a shot on target for the first time in two years under Mikel Arteta. On the other hand, the attacking threat of Porto’s Galeno, Evanilson and Pepe troubled the Gunners’s defence numerous times on the break as the Gunners looked jittery despite having 65% possession throughout the match.
The warning signs came as early as the 23rd minute when eventual match-winner Galeno somehow struck the post from his initial header before firing his rebound wide from just four yards out. It was a complete let-off for the Gunners as their own opportunities came only from set pieces, with Kai Havertz and William Saliba heading the resulting crosses wide. With no efforts on target as the teams headed into the halftime changing room, Arsenal relive their memories of suffering against PSG in 2016.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, the second half was even worse, as they were toothless in possession with their side-by-side passing as their normally direct players, such as Saka and Martinelli, preferred to keep the ball moving rather than running at their markers. Eventually, Porto managed to strike fear into Arsenal with the last action of the match as Galeno picked up the ball 35 yards from goal before running directly at the defence and curling his strike brilliantly past a sprawling Raya from outside the box. Galeno’s stroke of brilliance means Arsenal have more work to do on March 13 as their eight-game unbeaten run against Portuguese opposition also ended.
Arsenal failed to register a shot on target for the first time in 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 under Mikel Arteta 🤯⛔️
A night to forget. pic.twitter.com/UGSaJ4Jo4i
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 21, 2024
Mikel Arteta Beamoned Arsenal’s Lacklustre Performance After Late Galeno Winner
After seeing his team suffer a last-minute winner from Galeno, Mikel Arteta was expectantly unpleased in his post-match conference as he stated: We have to manage it much better. When you cannot win, the way we handled the ball on three occasions in deep areas is not good enough. But it’s the first leg. If you want to get to the quarter-finals, you have to beat your opponent. And that’s what we have to do at the Emirates now.”
As for what his team lacked, the Spanish boss responded: “Threat. We lacked much more threat, aggression and purpose when we had the ball in behind. We can do better. They are a team that is very well organised defensively, and they can break your rhythm. There were 35 or 37 fouls in the game. We couldn’t even touch anybody because everything was a free-kick. We will learn from that, prepare better and go and do it. There are things that we can do much better. We play them at home, we know them now, we know them. We know what to expect.”
Declan Rice also agreed with his gaffer, as he stated: “They’ve lost just two games here all season – they know what they’re doing. You’ve seen Porto over the years in the Champions League – an honest, hard-working side with great players. They just made it really compact and difficult. We must change our approach in the home leg and give it absolutely everything. It is the Champions League, and this is what we want to be competing in, so even though we’re a goal down, it’s a nice goal to aim for where we can turn it around in the home leg.”
Inexperience and Inconsistency May Cost Arsenal Silverware Again
After this defeat, Arsenal fans may feel they are listening to the same old broken record as the team always faltered in high-pressure situations. Throwback to last season’s 10-point lead for the title, and you will see the parallel in performance between today and then.
For context, Arsenal is the second-youngest team remaining in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage behind PSG, with ten out of their starting 11 making their latter stage debut. It was the same as the Premier League run last year, where they had one of the youngest squads and failed to keep their composure when it really mattered.
Furthermore, with the manner of defeat of not even registering a single shot after their brilliant goalscoring run, it is a worrying trend for the Gunners as the business end of every season is the real test of a team’s mantle. To catch Arsenal’s journey to glory or fall to agony, follow AsiaSport for the latest news and coverage of all football-related content occupying your feed.
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That loss means Arsenal have still not won a Champions League knockout game for 16 years.
— Prem Inside (@ThePremInside) February 21, 2024
