Arsenal break record after sealing Champions League progression with Lens rout
Arsenal recorded the biggest ever win by an English side in Europe against French opposition with their commanding 6-0 win over RC Lens on Wednesday night.
The thumping result means the Gunners have booked their spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League as winners of Group B. Mikel Arteta's rampant side blitzed their Ligue 1 opponents with five goals in the first-half, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all on target. Jorginho completed the rout with a late penalty.
After a seven-year absence from Europe's premier competition, Arsenal will be one of the teams competing in the last 16 of the tournament after Christmas. And not only did Arteta's qualify in style, they smashed records, too.
OptaJoe outlined on social media after the match that Arsenal's 6-0 victory is the biggest any English club has enjoyed against French opposition during a European competition - no mean feat.
After watching his side create history, Arteta was quick to laud his players for sealing their passage into the next phase of the Champions League "in a beautiful way".
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The Spaniard said in his post-match press conference: “Today was the day to get it done. We did it in a beautiful way. We scored five goals against a really good side in the first half. [Then] you can become really sloppy. And there were parts of the second half with different behaviours but we stayed really focused.
Join the debate! What did you make of Arsenal's performance v RC Lens? Let us know here.
Arsenal's 6-0 win over RC Lens is the biggest ever win by an English team against French opposition in Europe (AP)“When the team has that body language, living every action and every game the way we do, good things are going to come. It’s like the crowd, they always want more.
“They celebrate it and they play every single ball with us. When there is that connection it’s really powerful. The team wants to win, doesn’t want to concede anything and that’s the mentality that we need to become better.”
While he basked in the aftermath of a famous victory, Arteta was quick to point out that Arsenal's focus would swiftly return to domestic action. The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and face Wolves on Sunday.
He added: “It’s great that we are able to win this way. The consistency that we’ve shown at home to not concede any goals and score lots is a really positive factor.
“Those players need to have those experiences and believe that we can do it against those opponents. Now let’s wait. We have to park it, we will know in February who we’re facing and let’s see how we are at that moment.”
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