David Raya starred for Arsenal with a penalty-saving heroics as the Gunners survived Porto scare to qualify for 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinal after penalty shootouts, MySportDab reports.
Arsenal started the game in the front foot and were dominating proceedings.
Porto gave nothing away settling for the low blocks as they hoped to catch the hosts on the counter.
The contradictory tactical approach by the two teams made the game a largely one-sided affair with Arsenal dominating proceedings.
Despite a commanding control of the game, it was still a death end for Arsenal in Porto’s area. A tight defensive setup by the visitors kept denying Arsenal clearcut chances when the hosts closed up in the final third.
It was almost a barren going into the first-half break before Arsenal latched on their first perfect chance and made it count.
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard had nutmeg Porto defender and laid it on a plate for onrushing Leandro Trossard, who finished it brilliantly with a left-footed strike into the bottom-right corner.
It was a deserved lead for the Premier League leaders after their searing influence throughout the game.
Going down by a goal, Porto began to emerge from their low blocks and committed more bodies forward.
With four minutes left before the end of the first half, Arsenal still had the game in their grips but could not add to the tally.
The first half ended 1-0 with Arsenal taking the lead. It was a clinical first-half performance by the Gunners but they needed a goal more to break the 1-1 aggregate score.
The second half ended barren forcing the game into extra time and it was barren after 120 minutes as well and both sides heading into penalties.
David Raya saved two spot kicks as Arsenal converted all their spot-kicks to edge out the Portuguese giants 4-2 and book a slot in the last 8 of the competition.
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