Kai Havertz’s last-gasp winner was enough to beat a spirited Sporting Clube de Portugal at their raucous citadel on Tuesday evening in rainy Lisbon
Arsenal show character to beat Sporting through Havertz’s late winner as Raya shines
Kai Havertz’s last-gasp winner was enough to beat a spirited Sporting Clube de Portugal at their raucous citadel on Tuesday evening in rainy Lisbon
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Sporting’s pre-match Tifo as Estádio José Alvalade which read: “Minha vida é tua”, translated as: “My life is yours.” CREDIT:Layth (@laythy29)
Sporting CP 0–1 Arsenal: Champions League report by Layth Yousif at Estadio Jose Alvalade
Kai Havertz’s last-gasp winner was enough to beat a spirited Sporting Clube de Portugal at their raucous citadel on Tuesday evening in rainy Lisbon.
The Gunners had been faltering of late, with a brace of damaging back-to-back defeats over the last two weeks that saw the North Londoners dumped out of both domestic cup competitions, as pressure ramped up on Mikel Arteta.
Both sides had struck the woodwork early in the first half, in an absorbing, hard-fought clash that flickered intermittently, rather than flamed constantly, yet, in front of 50,804 fans, including 3,000 who travelled to support the North Londoners, Arteta’s Arsenal showed character and guts, to post a crucial victory in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final.
No mean feat given Sporting had won their last 17 home games on the bounce, and hadn’t lost at this stage of the tournament since 1983.
While Havertz was clinical when he needed to be, slotting home cooly after latching onto fellow substitute Gabi Martinelli’s perceptive through-ball, the Gunners were also aided by player of the match David Raya’s three excellent saves, that gave a base from which Arteta’s side could build on.
Such was the importance of this win, it was instructive to note Arteta, the increasingly beleaguered Gunners boss, made strides to join his victorious players on the pitch at the final whistle, to applaud the travelling fans at the end of this compelling clash at the atmospheric Estadio Jose Alvalade in the Portuguese capital. Fresh in the knowledge that his side had ran five kilometres more in total than Sporting, 108km to 103 collectively. If Arsenal are to falter, it won’t be through lack of toil.
Speaking after the Basque-born boss headed off the pitch with his men, Arteta said he was: “Extremely happy,” at the result, adding: “It was a big night, a big moment in the season. Especially where we’re coming from. I think we had a point to prove.”
It was good to note the Sporting fans already in the stadium an hour before the match, gave their former striker a warm reception when Viktor Gyokeres headed onto the turf as part of Arsenal’s pre-match pitch walk - as many of his former teammates did in the tunnel before kick-off, and again at the final whistle.
As Arteta noted after the match:“It tells a lot about the culture [of the club]and the supporters here and as well what Viktor meant to them, and what Viktor did for them.
“So, I’m sure he’s very happy with that.”
As pre-match anticipation manifested itself in the rise in decibels at this relentlessly cacophonous stadium, culminating in a Tifo which read: “Minha vida é tua”, translated as: “My life is yours,” the noise levels reached fever pitch, with a mesmerisingly-earsplitting rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way moments before kick-off.
The mournful classic contains multitudes through the soulful Fado-infused paean to regret, love, loss, hope, and pride. Hard-earned lessons in life as much as sport, the powerful rendition by 50,000 people is seen - and heard - to be believed.
Buoyed by such theatre, Sporting hit the crossbar in the early stages, through Max Araujo’s venomous strike from the impressive Ousamane Diomande’s splendid thorough ball that the alert Raya somehow managed to tip onto the woodwork, amid thunderous noise.
Nine minutes later it was Arsenal’s turn to hit the woodwork, when Noni Madueke’s corner evaded keeper Rui Silva, to sail onto the bar. The ball bounced off, eventually falling to Martin Odegaard, whose low drive flew narrowly wide.
After the Gunners had quietened the raucous crowd after the early onslaught, the visitors pushed their hosts deeper. German referee Daniel Sierbert handing a yellow card to No5 Hidemassa Morita for a foul for following through on Trossard just after the half hour mark.
As the Lisbon rain fell heavily once again, and clock ticked towards half time, Odegaard tested Silva in the Sporting goal, but the keeper was equal to the task, and gathered safely.
Arteta’s side started the second half with the intention of putting their hosts on the back foot, with Trossard drilling his effort wide shortly after the restart. On 52 minutes, Silva tipped Odegaard’s free-kick over the bar.
Sporting were not wholly pinned back, as Francisco Trincao’s low effort fizzed past Raya’s far post, which in turn fuelled the home support, as noise levels rose, following the mid-game dip.
Arsenal had Martin Zubimendi’s ‘goal’ disallowed just after the hour mark, chalked off by VAR for offside, much to the displeasure of the team, and the travelling fans, massed high up behind the Silva’s goal. It was the correct decision. Shortly afterwards, Gyokeres skimming drive was gathered by Silva.
For those who think Arteta is too cautious, too formulaic, the Arsenal boss deserved credit for his cavalier - rather than roundhead - approach by bringing on Martinelli, and teenage sensation Max Dowman, who became the youngest-ever player to feature in a Champions League knock-out stage match, in the history of the tournament. The talented 16-year-old certainly did not look out of place, showing footballing courage by always demanding the ball, to jink, twist and turn his markers, never allowing Sporting’s backline to settle.
Yet, as the game opened up, with eight minutes remaining, Raya dropped to his near post to deny the lively Trincao. Moments later Raya saved again from Geny Catamo, whose header from Luis Suarez’s cross was kept out at the front stick again, to keep the score goalless, as Arsenal prevented their two-game losing streak from increasing to three.
No wonder Arteta took time to praise Raya after the much-needed triumph, saying:“He’s extraordinary, magnificent, incredible. I don’t know the adjective, the right one. And with that, it’s enough. We are so happy to have him.”
However, as the game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw, Martinelli drove inside from the touchline, before exquisitely lifting the ball over the backline into Havertz path in the box. The 25-year-old German attacker showed superb technique to control with his right foot without breaking stride, before slotting home low past Silva with his left-foot to make it three goals in four Champions League matches for the Arsenal talisman Havertz to net in the first of only two minutes added time, to seal victory.
Havertz, who also struck a 95th minute equaliser at his former club Bayer Leverkusen in the previous round, celebrated intensely, after pouncing to squeeze the ball past Sporting keeper Silva to make it 1-0 to the Arsenal, as Arteta’s jubilant team joyously communed with their equally impassioned travelling support massed high up in the gods moments later, after the final whistle blew.
Arteta, sounding more like an evangelical preacher than a normally studious and circumspect head coach, allowed himself a hint of emotion, and an honest nod to the pressure he always operates under, insisting that: “something good will happen at the end[of the season]because we deserve it.”
The second leg next week in North London still promises to be fraught, as does the return of the Premier League after three dispiriting weeks away, when the Gunners host Bournemouth on Saturday in what is simply a must-win for Arteta’s side.
But for now, serendipity rather than anxiety is what Arsenal can take back from the Portuguese capital, as they await their next challenge this weekend. They can thank Raya and Havertz for that small mercy.
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