English side Arsenal got the job done on home pitch in their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday, clearing the path forward.
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English side Arsenal got the job done on home pitch in their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday, clearing the path forward.
English side Arsenal delighted fans with a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday night.
The Gunners got goals from Eberechi Eze in the 36th minute and Declan Rice in the 63rd to seal their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Arsenal, which was coming off a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, faced a much tougher challenge in their Champions League fixture. But the Gunners got the job done. The pressure was on to win the match on home pitch after drawing 1-1 in the first leg of their Round of 16 match last week.
The English squad held the line well throughout the matchup, getting a late tally in the first half. Eze took a pass at the top of the box, turned, and fired a rocket to the top-left corner. There was nothing Leverkusen keeper Janis Blaswich could do to stop the score from becoming 1-0 in favor of the Gunners.
Goaldata - Arsenal Zone
Swivel and smash from Eberechi Eze 🚀
You’re not gonna hit a volley better than that
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For Eze, it was his first Champions League goal. And boy, did he save a great time to get it. The goal sent Arsenal to the dressing room with the lead at halftime.
The club picked up the pace in the second half, coming out strong against a reeling German side. The second tally came in the 63rd minute, when the Man of the Match, Declan Rice, buried a shot just outside the box to give the Gunners a 3-1 victory on aggregate.
Goaldata - Arsenal Zone
Declan Rice just loves scoring exceptional goals in the Champions League 🤩
The two-goal lead allowed Mikel Arteta to substitute key starters for the rest of their Champions League match. That will certainly come in handy as Arsenal will meet Manchester City on Sunday at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final.
Arsenal Keeper Preserves Arsenal Pass to Champions League Quarterfinal
Arsenal had to keep a clean sheet on Tuesday in order to pass to the Champions League quarterfinals. A goal by Leverkusen would have sent the German squad past the Gunners on aggregate.
While Arsenal dominated much of the match, Arsenal keeper David Raya made a stunning save to preserve the clean sheet.
Goaldata - Arsenal Zone
David Raya makes a game-winning to save for Arsenal to keep Bayer Leverkusen at bay.
If there’s one goalkeeper who you can back to keep you in games, then it’s Raya.
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Had the goal gone in, it would have complicated Arsenal’s chances of getting past Leverkusen in their Champions League match. But it was Raya who preserved the win with a timely save.
It’s also worth pointing out that Leverkusen’s keeper made several key saves to keep the score 2-0. Had Blaswich not been stellar, the game could have been a rout.
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Gunners to Face Sporting in Next Fixture
While the Gunners for the job done in their side of the Champions League bracket, Portuguese side Sporting pulled off a stunning rout of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. Sporting pounded Bodo to the tune of a 5-0 shellacking in Lisbon. Sporting came in down 3-0 on aggregate as Bodo took care of business at home. With the Portuguese squad facing immense pressure, a goal in the 121st minute sent Bodo packing.
Now, Sporting will face a much tougher challenge in Arsenal in their next Champions League match. The pressure will be on both sides to set the tone in the first leg on April 6.