Arsenal vs FC Porto | 2023/24 CL | Three Crucial Takeaways

Arsenal beat FC Porto 1-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Emirates Stadium. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the match during stipulated time, with the strike coming in the 41st minute. The Gunners qualified for the quarterfinals after winning the tie on penalties.

The Portuguese side had won the first leg 1-0, making it compulsory for Mikel Arteta’s men to win the second leg of the CL tie. The aggregate score was tied at 1-1 after the completion of normal time and the game was extended till extra time to decide a winner.

However, both sides failed to score a goal in extra time and it went to penalties. The North London side came out victorious, winning the penalty shootout 4-2. Let us take a look at the three key takeaways from the Arsenal vs Porto match:

1. Trossard Came Good in a Match Arsenal Dominated

Quite expectedly, the Gunners dominated the match from the beginning at their home ground. Gabriel Martinelli was not fit to start and Leandro Trossard replaced him on the left flank. The Belgian winger justified his inclusion by scoring from a brilliant assist by Martin Odegaard.

There was a lot of penetration into the Porto penalty box by Arsenal. Odegaard himself had a goal ruled out. The Gunners, eventually, did just about enough to go through. David Raya’s heroics In the penalty shoot-out ensured their victory in the end, with the Spanish goalkeeper saving shots from Wendell and Galeno.

2. Porto Defended Bravely and Attacked in Patches

Porto had to defend a lot in the match to keep Arsenal from scoring. However, they could not keep their lead from the first leg intact. The Portuguese side attacked sporadically, and were not able to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Porto had 41% ball-possession in the match and managed to register three shots on target. They were only able to earn a solitary corner, while the Gunners managed nine. That goes on to show the kind of dominance the Gunners had in the match.

3. The Gunners Will Fancy Their Chances of Reaching the Last Four

Arsenal are playing in Europe’s premier competition after six long years and will fancy their chances of reaching the last four at least. However, the competition will intensify from the quarterfinals onwards and they will have to deal with a tough opposition in all probability.

However, the Gunners’ recent form will give them the confidence to take on any team. They have lost only one match in 2024 so far, and it will take some serious quality to eliminate the Gunners from the Champions League. However, even then, Arteta will hope that his team is not drawn to face either of Manchester City, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next round.

Follow AD for the Latest Matchday Updates on Arsenal.