Raya is shootout hero as Arsenal reach Champions League quarters
Arsenal's Spanish goalkeeperDavid Raya celebrates after winning the penalty shoot-out session with his team at the end of the UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Porto FC at the Arsenal Stadium in north London, on March 12, 2024. Arsenal edged out Porto on penalties to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
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David Raya was the hero as Arsenal beat Porto 4-2
on penalties on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the
first time since 2010.
The teams were locked at 1-1 on aggregate after an
absorbing second leg at the Emirates but Raya saved twice in the shootout to
break the hearts of the two-time champions.
The goalkeeper dived full stretch to deny Wendell
and repeated the feat against Galeno, while the home side converted all four of
their penalties as the decibel count soared.
It is the first time a Champions League match has
been decided by penalties since the 2016 final between Real Madrid and Atletico
Madrid.
"You are very nervous, you are hoping for the
best but you know that it (the shootout) is a bit of a lottery," Arsenal
manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports.
"So happy. It has been 14 years (without
reaching quarter-finals), which is a long time for a club like Arsenal and it
shows how difficult it was. We really had to dig in to find the magic moment at
the end."
"We've been patient, worked so hard and a lot
of people have made good decisions and showed courage in difficult moments and
this is where you want to be," he added.
Raya, on loan from Brentford, said it was a
"great moment personally and collectively".
"This means everything. You play football for
these kind of things and I'm lucky to be playing for Arsenal, to be in the
Champions League and to get through to the quarter-finals."
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Arteta's Premier
League leaders -- with 33 goals in their past eight league games -- were not at
their fluent best against a disciplined Porto side.
Leandro Trossard pulled Arsenal level on aggregate
shortly before half-time as their patience paid off.
Sergio Conceicao's men had succeeded in
frustrating the home team for long spells during the opening period, fashioning
enough chances of their own make it a nervy night for the expectant fans.
Both sides struggled to settle in a scrappy
opening period, with Porto doing their best to slow the game down by taking
their time with throw-ins and goal kicks, to the audible frustration of the
home crowd.
Arsenal defender Ben White headed over in the
fourth minute after the home side's first sustained attack while captain Martin
Odegaard hit the side netting 10 minutes later.
But Porto, who were last crowned European
champions under Jose Mourinho in 2004, had a number of openings.
Evanilson whipped a shot at goal from distance
that bounced wide and minutes later struck a rising strike that Raya palmed
away.
Declan Rice headed just wide and Pepe -- the first
41-year-old to play outfield in the Champions League -- got the deftest of
touches with his head to prevent Kai Havertz from connecting with a White cross
at the back post.
The breakthrough finally came in the 41st minute
following good work from Odegaard, who jinked past an opponent and fed Trossard
with a perfectly weighted low pass into the box.
Trossard calmly hit a right-footed shot past
goalkeeper Diogo Costa and into the far corner of the net to ease the tension.
The visitors, who had never won a match in England
in 22 previous attempts, started the second half brightly as Arsenal struggled
to impose themselves.
Arsenal thought they had doubled their lead midway
through the second half when Odegaard dinked the ball into an empty net but the
goal was ruled out for a foul by Havertz on Pepe.
Moments later Porto streamed forward and Raya
blocked Francisco Conceicao's shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Arteta threw on Gabriel Jesus in the 83rd minute
and the former Manchester City man nearly scored with his first touch.
As Arsenal pushed for a winner, Bukayo Saka
produced a trademark curling effort that was punched back into the middle and
Odegaard steered the rebound wide when well-placed.
The home side looked the more dangerous in the
early stages of extra-time but Porto remained a threat on the break, with
substitute Mehdi Taremi curling wide.
Arteta brought on Eddie Nketiah and Oleksandr
Zinchenko for the second period of extra time but neither side could find a
winner and it went to penalties.


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