5 talking points as Arsenal's Champions League hopes dented by late Porto strike
Arsenal suffered late heartbreak against Porto in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 clash.
The Gunners contested their first Champions League knockout tie since 2017 and there were a few early jitters. Declan Rice picked up a yellow card inside the opening 80 seconds and was forced to walk a tightrope for the rest of the clash.
As if often the case in Champions League knockout football, the early stages were particularly cagey. Neither side managed to carve out so much as a half-chance within the first 20 minutes. And in the blink of an eye, Arsenal were so nearly behind.
Galeno managed to get two shots off on goal inside the Gunners six-yard box, with his first striking the upright, before his second fizzed wide of David Raya's goal. Mikel Arteta's men could consider themselves incredibly fortunate, with William Saliba's ball watching almost costing his side.
The second-half was a carbon copy of the first, before a late dagger resigned Arsenal to defeat. Gabriel Martinelli was wasteful in possession, but he couldn't have predicted Galeno would guide home such a spectacular winner deep into second-half stoppage time.
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Mirror Football has analysed five talking points from a dramatic clash at the Estadio Dragao.
1. Arsenal’s attack stifled
Bukayo Saka failed to get the better of Porto's defenceIn their last two games, which also came away from the Emirates, the Gunners managed 11 goals without reply. Some of their best attacking of the season was on display, so Porto could have been forgiven for being cautious.
However, the Portuguese giants restricted the north Londoners to far less than they enjoyed against West Ham and Burnley over the last 10 days. The entirety of the first-half was played in front of Porto’s back-line, with the Gunners failing to get in behind once.
Porto did what Arsenal’s recent Premier League opponents couldn’t and stuck to their shape religiously. In turn, the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka struggled to weave their magic as much as the travelling Gunners contingent may have expected.
Even Arsenal’s set-pieces failed to get the better of a resilient Porto defence. The Gunners ended the game without a single shot on target.
2. Porto’s zero turns to hero
Porto's Galeno could hardly believe he missed two strikes from such close rangeOver the course of the two legs, it remains to be seen just how costly Galeno’s first-half miss will prove to be. But it came at a stage in the game where Porto could have stunned their visitors into submission.
Arsenal had started the game with plenty of the ball, but offered precious little in terms of any attacking threat. Gelano was gifted the freedom of the six-yard box after Saliba was caught napping, but failed to punish the Gunners despite having two stabs at it.
Raya would have stood no chance had either of the attempts been on target, but the first rattled the post instead of finding its intended target of the top corner. The second may have come back to Galeno at pace, but he’ll still feel he should have done better given the connection he made with the ball.
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Thankfully, the Brazilian spared his own blushes with a sensational strike in second-half stoppage time to win the game for Porto. Galeno opened up his body to curl home a left-footed strike from distance that left Arsenal's Champions League hopes in the balance.
3. A stop-start affair
Referee Serdar Gozubuyuk took charge of this contestNeither side managed to get into any sort of rhythm and that was hardly helped by the officiating.
Referee Serdar Gözübüyük set the tone early on with a yellow card in the first two minutes for Rice, though it was his decision to caution Kai Havertz midway through the second half that was the most baffling decision of all.
The Germany international was yellow carded for an intentional elbow, despite the fact that it was evidently anything but. Havertz was simply using his body to fend off the oncoming Porto midfielder.
Every Arsenal corner took an age due to Gozubuyuk’s desire to blow each time a Porto defender hit th deck in what was a crowded six-yard box.
4. Pepe makes history
Porto's Pepe is the oldest player to appear in a Champions League knock-out gameThe Porto central defender is now the oldest player to feature in a Champions League knock-out tie at 40 years of age. Next week, the ex-Real Madrid pen will turn 41 years of age, but he had no trouble silencing Arsenal’s significantly younger attackers.
When Pepe made his first appearance in this competition all the way back in the autumn of 2004, Gunners star Saka was just three years of age. Far from past his best, the defender marshalled his backline with the kind of authority you’d expect from a player of his experience.
One pre-match statistic read that Pepe actually had made 47 outings in the Champions League knockout rounds, 31 more appearances than the entire Arsenal starting line-up combined. There was even time mid-game for a quick handshake with Arteta - who is only one year older than him.
5. A look to the second-leg
PORTO, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 21: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, gives instructions to players of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 first leg match between FC Porto and Arsenal FC at Estadio do Dragao on February 21, 2024 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Porto boss Sergio Conceicao will be absolutely delighted with the performance from his players. Not only did his defenders silence an Arsenal attack that has been in such devestating form, but they snatched the first-leg right at the death.
Galeno's strike means Arsenal now have a deficit to overturn when they welcome Porto to the Emirates in mid-March. The Gunners will need to start brightly in the second-leg, or the tension will soon spread throughout the red half of north London.
From Porto's perspective, the task is simple. Put in another defensive performance like that at the home of Arsenal and they will be in the pot for the last eight.
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