Kai Havertz scored late to secure a one-goal advantage for Arsenal as their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Sporting CP heads to London next Wednesday
Key moments
6' Raya tips Araújo sizzler onto crossbar
15' Madueke hits woodwork from corner
76' Dowman makes Champions League history
83' Raya saves Catamo header
90+1' Havertz scores stoppage-time winner
Match in brief: Kai Havertz's calm finish seals late win
Stern defences were set to win the day in Lisbon until Arsenal substitute Kai Havertz struck the stoppage-time winner.
As it happened: Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal
The first half had ended goalless, though both sides struck the crossbar early on.
First was Sporting’s Maximiliano Araújo, who raced on to Ousmane Diomande’s excellent pass in the sixth minute but saw his blistering left-footed effort tipped onto the crossbar by Raya.
Arsenal’s turn to threaten came nine minutes later – Noni Madueke rattling woodwork directly from an inswinging corner before Martin Ødegaard shot wide from the rebound.
Maximiliano Araújo was close to a superb opener
Maximiliano Araújo was close to a superb openerGetty Images
Chances remained at a premium in the second half until the closing stages when Havertz, less than ten minutes after Geny Catamo had tested Raya with a close-range header, guided in the winner from Gabriel Martinelli's excellent set-up.
The introduction of Max Dowman in the 76th minute also gave cause for Arsenal celebration, the young forward becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in the Champions League quarter-finals at 16 years and 97 days old.
Line-ups
Sporting CP: Rui Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Araújo; João Simões (Daniel Bragança 62), Morita; Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves (Rafael Nel 73); Suárez
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Ødegaard (Havertz 70), Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke (Dowman 76), Gyökeres, Trossard (Martinelli 76)
Sporting CP's starting 11
Sporting CP's starting 11Getty Images
PlayStation® Player of the Match: David Raya
“High-level performance. He was influential at keeping a clean sheet for Arsenal. Really alert and secure. Made the save earlier on which was an important moment in the game for Arsenal."
UEFA Technical Observer Group
Carlos Machado, match reporter
Arsenal are closer to the last four after a deserved win in Lisbon. They dominated almost the entire game, but only managed to make a breakthrough near the end. From that point of view, Sporting proved that they were a hard nut to crack and the tie is still far from over.
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What's next?
The second leg takes place at the Arsenal Stadium on 15 April.
The aggregate winners meet the winners of the tie between Barcelona and Atleti. The semi-final schedule can be found here.