David Raya cleared the stops and Arsenal moved on. They used every ounce of energy Mikel Arteta could demand to cruise past Porto with a single stroke and into their first Champions League quarter-final since 2010. It was their first penalty shoot-out in the Champions League since the 2005-06 final, and Raya was so decisive in that match that he produced a superb save from Galeno and a relatively lucky one from Wendell, the latter of which was strong enough to save Arsenal’s goal. He literally sent me.
In such situations there may be questions about the physical and mental cost of such a game, but Arteta’s team has no other matches for 19 days. They also have something uniquely positive to think about after overcoming a real obstacle in this most famous competition. Even Arsene Wenger couldn’t get this far. Arteta did it on his first try.
Such momentum could similarly propel the title challenge forward in a run that looks full of life and optimism.
That’s not always what you said about the 1-0 lead on the night. It was a weak draw, the fans don’t care.
For Arsenal, too, it was Porto’s superb, old-fashioned defensive performance that put Arteta’s side in this predicament.
Although the Premier League leaders did not show much of their recent quality, they showed a different quality. There was a tenacity and determination, and it was much more necessary than the financial gap between the teams would suggest. Porto showcased their European roots, drawing on a rich history of defiance and proud defence. It just wasn’t enough.
But it was close.
They really made Arsenal work for it. For the first time in almost two months, Arteta’s team failed to score in the first 25 minutes of the game. Porto were clearly wise in this approach as they began to waste time. It reminded me of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea match against Liverpool in 2013-14; This should come as no surprise considering he is one of the club’s best managers. This was complemented by a suitable physicality – or even its opposite. The sudden changes were almost comical. Porto players would switch from innocuous touches to the toughest tackles, from long distances lying flat on the ground. Wendell was giving Bukayo Saka a tough game as Arsenal initially struggled to stay behind. But there were more chances in the first 25 minutes than in the entire 90 minutes at Dragao.
Arsenal would need to show the same patience they showed against Brentford on Saturday, although Porto showed some more bullishness going forward.
They didn’t even have to wait that long, though that was due to Martin Odegaard’s composure in not rushing as the situation might have encouraged.
In the 41st minute, when Leandro Trossard sent the ball to the Norwegian player, an opportunity arose to return the ball quickly. Instead he delayed, deftly parried a challenge and slotted an angled ball back to Trossard. The Belgian finished with equal sharpness.
The natural tendency here would be to think that Porto would fade away, as Lazio did in a similar situation against Bayern Munich last week. But there was none of this. They unquestionably got sharper as they played higher up the pitch. They still defended aggressively but were not under as much pressure as they caused Arsenal to convert more. It turned into a 50-50 match.
Arsenal were also forced into the fray. Kai Havertz showed Pepe some of the skepticism you’d expect from him by cunningly tugging at the defender’s shirt as Diogo Costa came out for a loose ball. The referee was not tactful enough to notice this and caused Odegaard’s deflection of the ball into the goal to be disallowed. The fact that this was “that kind of game” was revealed when both managers received yellow cards.
There was also a sense that it was turning into this kind of night. When Arsenal finally began to put the pressure back on in the final 15 minutes, there were a number of opportunities that either flowed thrillingly towards goal or were narrowly deflected away. Both Gabriel Jesus and Odegaard became close. Porto was digging.
This was exemplified by how they won almost every defensive set piece. This was even more impressive considering the rate of goals Arsenal have scored this season. Porto trained well again and this was the main focus of the pre-match warm-up.
They were still winning headers as the game went past the 90 minutes and headed into extra time. The only consolation for Arsenal is that there is now a break. Elimination from the FA Cup could never be worth more than that, especially given that the game had reached a stalemate where Porto couldn’t keep the ball but Arsenal were too tired to do much about it.
Punishments seemed inevitable. There was no Arsenal victory, given that they were beaten on spot kicks by Sporting in last season’s Europa League.
Raya was the difference.