3 defeats in the last 4 matches and the fear of losing everything in the final sprint. Arsenal is experiencing its first crisis of the season, at the worst time. Fortunately for the Gunners, the only victory in this sequence came during the quarter-final first leg on the Sporting pitch, almost a hold-up, which allowed them to welcome the Portuguese club more calmly this Wednesday evening. We had to make the match easy, and the first 10 minutes suggested a clearing in the Gunners’ game.
But it did not last, and the usual faults quickly emerged: sterile ball possession, lack of creativity and unnecessary touches of the ball which slowed down the game. Even the first set pieces obtained did not do much for Arsenal. Only Eze managed to set a little rhythm, while the Emirates Stadium was growing impatient even before the half-hour mark with the soporific sequences on offer. And it’s even Sporting that could have hurt if Pedro Gonçalves had better exploited Raya’s recovery error (40th), or if the post had not repelled an attempt by Catamo (43rd)!
Arsenal without convincing
Worrying and still as timid offensively, Mikel Arteta’s men returned to the locker room still qualified but had not really reassured their supporters about their state of form. And it started again in the second period with the same tone, with Sporting ultimately much more dangerous, with a strike from the fiery left side Araujo (48th). Arsenal then woke up, Madueke finally managed to overflow on his side, and Martinelli shot over (55th). Gyokeres, ghostly, gave way to the scorer of the first leg, Kai Havertz. Then the nugget Dowman replaced Madueke.
What wakes up the Emirates? The 2 shots on target after 70 minutes of play did not inspire overwhelming enthusiasm. Sporting could always believe in a turnaround. So Mikel Arteta completed replacing his starting attack line, and launched Gabriel Jesus and Trossard in place of Eze and Martinelli. The Gunners pushed a little more intensely, without upsetting the codes of football either, and Trossard found the post with a header (84th). The London team had the merit of controlling the end of the match, preventing the Lisbon team from attacking. Without seducing, without reassuring either, Arsenal validated its place in the semi-final of the Champions League for the second year in a row. He will face Atlético de Madrid there.
Pub. the
– UPDATE
