Arsenal win penalty shootout in Champions League round of 16

Arsenal beat Porto 4-2 on penalties in the second leg of the round of 16 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years.

Leonardo Trossard's goal late in the first half of the second leg levelled the scores at 1-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, forcing the two teams into extra time and a penalty shootout, where goalkeeper David Raya made two saves to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009-10.

Arsenal players cheer as goalkeeper David Raya saves the decisive penalty kick against Porto in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 at Emirates Stadium, London, England, on the evening of March 12, 2024. Photo: PA

Coach Mikel Arteta shares joy with Raya after the match. Photo: Reuters

The turning point of the shootout came in the second round, when left-back Wendell shot towards the right corner but Raya pushed the ball against the post. The ball bounced back and hit the Spanish goalkeeper's foot, but instead of flying back into the net, it rolled out. Wendell held his head in regret, while tens of thousands of Emirates fans jumped up, putting even more pressure on the visitors.

Many home fans also held their heads, but in emotion, because they had been eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 seven times in a row. Arsenal were rated higher than Porto, but still had to take a penalty shootout with many potential risks. However, Raya once again shone in the fourth round, when he dived to the right to block the shot of another Brazilian player, Galeno. This moment brought Mikel Arteta's team into the group of eight strong teams in Europe.

After the match, Raya regretfully said that he could have saved another penalty, from midfielder Marko Grujic's shot in the third round, also to the right corner. The 29-year-old goalkeeper got a hand to the ball but it still rolled into the net. "We practiced penalty kicks many times, and it worked," he added.

Captain Martin Odegaard successfully scores a penalty kick in the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League round of 16 second leg against Porto at Emirates Stadium in London, England, on the evening of March 12, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa failed to block any shots from Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice. The Portuguese goalkeeper even misjudged the direction of all four shots. With Saka's shot, Costa waited for the England international to shoot towards the corner before diving but was too late.

The performances of the two goalkeepers contrast with their penalty saving rates. Raya has only saved four penalties in his career, from 36 shots, a rate of just 11%. Costa has done much better, saving 10 of the 37 penalties he has faced, a rate of 27%. The average save rate for a goalkeeper against penalties is between 22% and 24%.

Arsenal become the sixth team to reach the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 Champions League, after PSG, Bayern Munich, Man City, Real Madrid and Barca. There have been no surprises in the round of 16, and tonight's match will determine the final two teams, most likely Dortmund and Inter.

Xuan Binh

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