LONDON – Arsenal's Champions League last 16 curse has finally been broken. A penalty shoot-out was required at the end of a grueling 120 minutes, in which FC Porto tested the Gunners' patience in almost every way imaginable, but they reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
As a coach, Mikel Arteta inherited a glass ceiling of seven consecutive departures at this stage from 2011 to 2017, five of which he was registered as a player, but at the first moment of asking on his return to Europe's main club competition. , he has been destroyed.
“For them to do it when the club has failed to do it for 14 years, I tell them it will be a boost,” Arteta said after Tuesday's game. “The margins are very small. You find a way to do it again. I see how much they want it, how much they try and are willing to sacrifice anything to win. When you play like that in the end, good things are going to come your way.”
– Stream on ESPN+: FA Cup, LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)
– Read on ESPN+: How Pep and Klopp changed the Prem, and each other
The Gunners may not have been entirely convincing here, dragged to Porto's level in a match that leaned towards guile and hostility rather than technical football. This led to both coaches receiving yellow cards in separate incidents and more angry words were exchanged between the pair throughout full time.
But the technical actions can come later. Arteta's mission is to redefine Arsenal as serial challengers for the game's biggest prizes, as for many years under previous manager Arsene Wenger, the Gunners were almost a laughingstock come the knockout rounds. Not anymore.
Trailing 1-0 in the first leg, Leandro Trossard pulled Arsenal level in the tie with a 41st-minute goal, which was all down to the sharp feet and vision of Martin Odegaard in creating the chance.
Porto proved to be stubborn opponents, exaggerating contact all over the pitch but also pressing intelligently and bravely to ensure the second half was not simply an attempt to repel wave after wave of Arsenal attacks. In fact, in extra time, the Gunners only managed one shot.
But when it mattered, Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice held their nerve in the shootout, while David Raya brilliantly saved Wendell and Galeno's spot-kick shots to ensure this young Arsenal team broke new ground. roads.
“What we expected, a really tough opponent, very well organized and very difficult to generate constant momentum in the game,” Arteta said. “That's their credit. We did it. We scored a beautiful goal, and then we insisted in different ways. We had to do it at the end with the penalties. We prepared well. Credit to the coaches and those who executed them. “
It was the first time the Champions League had a penalty shootout since the 2016 final, which, surprisingly, also involved Pepê, who at 41 became the first player over 40 to appear in this competence.
With that, Arsenal banished another demon after losing in the first penalty shoot-out at the Emirates Stadium in last year's Europa League round of 16 clash, against another Portuguese opponent, Sporting Lisbon.
Arteta will feel that many of his decisions have been justified: starting Trossard in place of the injured Gabriel Martinelli and, most obviously, bringing in Raya despite Aaron Ramsdale doing little wrong in last season's title race.
Asked how he knew Raya would be able to cope with high-pressure moments in goal, Arteta said: “I didn't have to see it today; I was convinced he could.”
“You see it those first days here: what he had to go through and how he did it with that composure,” Arteta added. “If you look at his body language and the decisions he makes, he's not very affected. That's a key quality for that position.”
Losing here could have had the same debilitating effect as last season, when that outing against Sporting precipitated a run of form that ultimately cost Arsenal the Premier League title after winning just three of their last nine games.
Arteta hopes Tuesday's result could have the opposite effect.
“That's how you have to look at it right now,” he said. “If you're away, you think, 'One less competition, that's great for the league.' Now that we're here, it's the energy it brings to the team. It can be very powerful and very useful.
“It's another big step, especially as a club. It's been seven years since we participated in this competition and it's been 14 years since we've gotten this far. That tells you how difficult it is. We want more and we're going to try, that's for sure.”
