Kick in the teeth for Arsenal as Porto steal last-gasp win
THIS is the kind of night that puts hairs on your chest. One of those nights that require you to be street-wise, shrewd and durable.
For 90-plus minutes, Arsenal passed this test with flying colours in the intense cauldron that is Porto’s Estadio do Dragao.
Then arrived the harsh reality of European football as Galeno fired home a fine winner at the death to break Arsenal’s hearts.
When these two sides come to blows again for the second leg next month, you would still expect Arsenal to finish the job.
But it is gearing up to be some night at the Emirates Stadium on March 12 after this breathtaking finish here last night.
It’s all part of a learning curve for Mikel Arteta’s team. You can’t win every game. But when you can’t win — make sure you don’t lose, particularly in the first-leg of a European knockout tie. They couldn’t quite keep to their end of the bargain here last night.
When the Gunners board their flight back to England this morning, they will do so knowing the game isn’t over.
The talk on the eve of this encounter centred on past glories and failures.
For Arsenal, an opportunity to right some wrongs. They have not qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals for 14 years, though they had not competed in the tournament for seven of those seasons.
This was a moment the club had craved for so long. Back in the big time — not an opportunity to be relinquished. For Porto, last night was a chance to underline their status as European football royalty. They have won this competition twice, after all.
Their billing as underdogs for this tie irked the locals. How many times have Arsenal been European champions?
Their argument deserves consideration, but this is an Arsenal team intent on writing their own history.
And without key forward Mehdi Taremi, who missed the game with a groin injury, Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao was under no illusion of the task his side faced.
The start from Arsenal was controlled, though Declan Rice did pick up a yellow card inside two minutes. Little in the way of chances for the Gunners, yet plenty of the ball.
Porto’s plan was clear: rapid counter-attacks reliant on the speed of Francisco Conceicao — son of manager Sergio — and Galeno on either flank.
Their strategy nearly worked a treat, as they went within inches of taking a 22nd-minute lead when Galeno crashed an effort onto the post before firing the rebound wide with the goal gaping.
The home were convinced he had scored as the ball rebounded off the advertising hoarding to ripple the net.
Indeed, the tannoy operator blared out the song that greets all of Porto’s goals here at the Estadio do Dragao — only to hastily hit the stop button when he realised his error.
But it was Galeno’s error that truly cost Porto in the first half.
It was a let-off for Arsenal, who struggled for fluency during the opening 30 minutes. Their first genuine chance arrived in the 35th minute, Kai Havertz taking up a menacing position at the back post only to head Bukayo Saka’s corner tamely wide.
In fact, it was Porto carving out the most promising openings, Nico Gonzalez firing narrowly wide from distance before Conceicao, on loan from Ajax, forced David Raya into a smart save with a shot from a tight angle.
Credit to the Portuguese side. Their strategy to stifle and hit Arsenal on the break was effective. Yet there were signs towards the end of the opening 45 minutes that Arteta’s side were gradually getting to grips with what was required.
Like a mathematical equation, Arsenal’s young team were trying to work out how to crack the code.
As brilliant as they are, you forget this is an altogether new experience for this collective of Arsenal players. They are learning on the job.
Finding the answers won’t always come naturally to them.
Gabriel Martinelli, largely anonymous in the first half, was starting to find more joy down Arsenal’s left and Martin Odegaard’s influence drew with each passing minute. Leandro Trossard squandered a good opportunity in the 56th minute, firing over the bar inside the area from Rice’s corner.
Porto’s forays forward had become increasingly fleeting. Arsenal, suddenly, the team in the ascendancy.
There was a certain unpalatable guile to Arsenal’s that you couldn’t help be impressed by.
The ability to win free-kicks or concede them in order to prevent counter-attacks. Not traits you
would necessarily associate with this Arsenal team at thier free-flowing best.
But you can’t always have it your own way and this was one of those occasions.
The home crowd that was fervent during the first half had been suppressed.
Arsenal took the sting out of the occasion — that was until the last of four minutes of stoppage time when Galeno blew the roof off with his brilliant winner and left Arteta with plenty to ponder ahead of the second leg in three weeks’ time.
● VICTOR OSIMHEN returned from the Africa Cup of Nations last night to keep Napoli’s hopes of Champions League progression alive against Barcelona. Nigeria striker Osimhen struck 15 minutes from time to secure a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, after Robert Lewandowski had fired a wasteful Barca side in front on the hour.