ARSENAL – FC PORTO 1-0 (4-2 e. str):
Both extra time and penalty kicks were needed to decide a winner in Tuesday’s Champions League meeting in London.
Arsenal naturally took the lead after 40 minutes, but a compact Porto held out for the rest of the game.
Since the Portuguese won the first match 1-0, the teams were level both after regular time and extra time.
Crime drama
Thus, it was a nerve-wracking ending to the whole thing to choose a winner.
Martin Ødegaard was the first man up to the chalk mark and the Norwegian made no mistakes from eleven metres.
It didn’t go as well for Porto’s Wendell, who was the first to miss. Thus the hosts had an advantage. The penalty went through both the post and the goalkeeper, before it didn’t want to enter the net.
– What happened there? asked TV 2 expert Brede Hangeland when he saw the replay.
Arsenal continued to score their penalties and when David Raya saved Wenderson Galeno’s penalty it was all decided.
Thus, Ødegaard and Arsenal could cheer for the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
Clicked after cancellation
It goes down in history that Arsenal had a ball in the back of the net in the second half, but that goal was disallowed.
It was Martin Ødegaard who pushed the ball into the goal. However, Kai Havertz had been too tough with Pepe up front.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, for his part, was very unhappy with the decision and almost clicked out on the sidelines.
– Now Arteta will probably have the yellow card. He completely lost it there, said TV 2 commentator Øyvind Alsaker at the same time as Ødegaard and his teammates’ goal cheers suddenly died down at the Emirates.
Ødegaard magic
Arsenal struggled for a long time to break down a compact and hard-working Porto, but around five minutes before half-time they were to succeed.
Martin Ødegaard waited up with a nice touch, before sending Leandro Trossard through with a smooth pass. The Belgian made no mistake when he received the ball at a slightly sharp angle inside the box. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa could do little with the finish away in the far corner.
Thus, Arsenal were on track to advance to the quarter-finals when the teams went into the break.
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60 minutes had been played when it seemed that Ødegaard had sent the hosts up 2–0. The Norwegian picked up a rebound after a duel in the box and tipped the ball into the empty cage. However, the referee had noted an offense beforehand.
Kai Havertz was excessively tough with the tough guy Pepe, before Ødegaard got the ball and thus the score was cancelled.
Chasing the winning goal
At the same time, Porto were dangerous up front. Francisco Conceicao advanced and fired from around 20 yards, but David Raya saved.
Despite the fact that Arsenal controlled a lot, the London club created unusually few dangers on their own turf.
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– There are few chances. Remarkably few chances for Arsenal, said TV 2 expert Brede Hangeland.
In search of a winning goal, the hosts threw in Gabriel Jesus and the Brazilian immediately came up with a usable opportunity in the 84th minute. The striker was set up in the box and tried to roll the ball under the goalkeeper, but Diogo Costa got a touch and deflected for a corner.
Just then, Ødegard was on the move again. The midfielder came up with another return, but this time he put the ball just wide.
However, several goals were not scored in regular time and thus extra time had to be added at the Emirates.