Arsenal booked their ticket to Madrid with a convincing 9-3 win on aggregate against PSV Eindhoven. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice scored for Mikel Arteta’s side, with Ivan Perisic and Couhaib Driouech grabbing the goals for PSV.
Former PSV loanee Oleksandr Zinchenko broke the deadlock against his old club in under seven minutes. The full-back, playing in a more advanced midfield role, took the ball in his stride and unleashed a stunning, curling effort from outside of the box, beating Walter Benítez with ease.
The lead on the night was short-lived; Guus Til slotted Ivan Perisic in behind Arsenal’s defence, firing into the top-corner.
Raheem Sterling grabbed his second assist of the game eight minutes from the interval, setting up Declan Rice with a routine header to retake the lead.
However, PSV were able to find the target once again, with Couhaib Driouech lobbing the ball over the head of David Raya with twenty minutes left on the clock.
The goal didn’t ignite any late dramatic comeback and the Gunners avoided any injuries, booking their place in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the quarter-final, with the first leg to be played on the 8/9 March and the second leg on the 14/15 March. For now, their attention is back to Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. PSV hope to remain in the title race with another away fixture against RKC Waalwijk on Saturday evening.
Story of the match:
After a resounding 7-1 victory in the Netherlands last week, it came as no surprise that Mikel Arteta elected to rotate his squad. There were six changes to the side that drew against Manchester United on the weekend, including starts for Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior and Alex Zinchenko.
Peter Bosz decided to prioritise the upcoming Eredivisie games in their schedule, also opting for six switches from Sunday’s victory over SC Heerenveen. Couhaib Driouech and Johan Bakayoko were preferred to Noa Lang and Luuk de Jong in the front three, while Armando Obispo and Adamo Nagalo slotted into defence.
After a resounding 7-1 victory in the Netherlands last week, it came as no surprise that Mikel Arteta elected to rotate his squad. There were six changes to the side that drew against Manchester United on the weekend, including starts for Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
It didn’t take long for the Gunners to pick up where they left off in Eindhoven. Raheem Sterling found Zinchenko roaming in midfield and the Ukrainian fired into the back of the net from a distance.
The hosts were comfortable in possession throughout the first quarter of an hour, stringing passes from midfield to attack and creating openings in PSV’s defence.
The travelling PSV fans, who had been singing since minute one despite the circumstances, almost erupted when **Johan Bakayoko**’s strike flew just over the crossbar.
The visitors did find the leveller on the night only moments later. Bakayoko again picked up a loose ball and played it to Guus Til in a promising position. Til spotted Perisic open and the ex-Spurs man made no mistake, finishing off a swift counter-attack move.
Driouech came very close to scoring his first-ever Champions League goal as the pressure mounted on Arsenal, but the 22-year-old’s effort was tipped behind the post by David Raya.
In what was turning into another frenetic, attacking game, Myles Lewis-Skelly saw his attempt denied by the left post. The teenager was alert to Mikel Merino's deft flick-on, but his shot was diverted by Benítez onto the post.
However, the Gunners did use the momentum to their advantage. Sterling took on Malacia with confidence, beating the Manchester United loanee for pace. His inviting delivery was met by the head of Rice, making it 9-2 on aggregate.
Gabriel prevented Driouech with yet another vital goal-saving intervention, sliding emphatically in the box and blocking the winger’s goal-bound effort.
Sterling saw his name in lights just before half time when Zinchenko played an enticing ball through PSV’s backline, but he failed to beat Benitez in the one-on-one scenario.
Arsenal showed no signs of sitting back when they emerged from the interval. Ben White was given the time and space to drive into the midfield, but his shot was tame and easily collected by Benitez.
Despite the hosts’ dominance, the Boeren were still forcing Raya into some excellent stops. The Spaniard palmed Isaac Babadi’s strike out for a corner kick. Netherlands international Joey Veerman then blasted a first-time finish over the bar as the visitors started to get more of the ball.
Substitute Riccardo Calafiori almost immediately jumped in on the action, just as he did in the first leg, but his shot directed at Benitez’s near-post was saved well by the Argentine.
Having been denied twice by the Gunners, Couhaib Driouech finally earned his first Champions League goal with a beautiful finish. The former Excelsior forward was played through by Babadi after Jorginho was dispossessed and executed a neat chip over Raya, wheeling away in jubilation in front of the away end.
Despite the equaliser on the night, the game was petering out to a natural conclusion as the hosts continued to sit back, with PSV accepting their fate of elimination after the events in Holland last week.