Arsenal 1-1 Sporting Lisbon AET (3-5 on pens): Gunners crash out on penalties as Gabriel Martinelli sees shot saved
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Updated 17/03/2023 at 07:29 GMT
Sporting Lisbon kept their nerve superbly in the penalty shoot-out to send Arsenal crashing out of the UEFA Europa League. Gabriel Martinelli’s penalty - saved by Antonio Adan - was the decisive moment at the Emirates, on a night that also saw a wonder-goal from Sporting's Pedro Goncalves, who beat Aaron Ramsdale in sensational fashion from 46 yards out.
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Arsenal were sent crashing out of the Europa League as Sporting Lisbon won 5-3 on penalties at the Emirates after a 1-1 draw (3-3 on aggregate).
Mikel Areta’s Gunners looked in control when Granit Xhaka gave them a 19th-minute lead on the night and a 3-2 advantage on aggregate.
But the red half of North London was silenced when Pedro Goncalves netted a wonder-strike from 46 yards to beat the despairing dive of Aaron Ramsdale.
With Arsenal rocking, Ramsdale redeemed himself by saving one-on-one from ex-Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards.
Both sides pushed for a winner but they couldn’t be separated and so extra-time was required.
Leandro Trossard hit the post, Thomas Partey curled a shot just wide, and Gabriel saw a powerful header saved as Arsenal dominated extra time, but penalties would ultimately be required.
Arsenal were the better side in extra-time, but were unable to find a winner as the game went to penalties.
Just before the final whistle Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Bukayo Saka, meaning the visitors finished with 10.
After the first seven penalties were scored, Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan - who had been excellent over the two legs - kept out Gabriel Martinelli’s effort, and then Nuno Santos stepped up to win the tie for Sporting.
The Gunners lost both Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba to injury in the first-half, and they may be left to count the true cost of tonight's defeat as the season goes on.
Talking point: …but at what cost
The injuries and fatigue of 120 minutes on Thursday night could well be decisive for Arsenal’s season.
If they lose Tomiyasu and Saliba long-term, it would be a very heavy price for a European exit.
The Gunners’ real priority has to be the Premier League, where they hold a five-point advantage over Manchester City with 11 matches to play. That includes a crunch meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side in a few weeks. If Saliba in particular is unavailable, his back-up - likely Rob Holding - represents a real drop in quality and that could prove decisive. Mikel Arteta may rue his decision to pick his starters tonight.
Player of the Match: Adan
Both sides had a roughly equal share of the chances in the first 90 minutes of the match, but extra-time was all Arsenal. Adan made several important saves before then, but in that final 30 minutes he had to be exceptional, and he was.
He made seven saves in the 120 minutes, to Ramsdale's one.
The Spanish veteran was also good with the ball at his feet and capped an excellent performance with the decisive save in the penalty shoot-out.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Ramsdale 5, Tomiyasu N/A, Saliba N/A, Gabriel 6, Zinchenko 6, Jorginho 6, Vieira 7, Xhaka 5, Nelson 6, Jesus 6, Martinelli 6. Subs: White 7, Partey 7, Saka 7, Odegaard 6, Holding 7, Trossard 6
Sporting: Adan 8, St. Juste 7, Inacio 7, Diomande 6, Esgaio 6, Ugarte 7, Pedro Goncalves 8, Matheus Reis 6, Edwards 7, Paulinho 6, Trincao 6. Subs: Tanlongo N/A, Essugo N/A, Santos N/A, Gomes N/A, Chermiti 5
Match highlights
9' TOMIYASU LIMPS OFF - A disappointing early end to the evening with Ben White coming on in his place.
14' TRINCAO INCHES AWAY - The ex-Barca man hits a low curling shot but just beats the far post. That was close!
16' BIG ADAN HAND - Gabriel Jesus slides in on a Reiss Nelson cross from the right and the bounce almost beats Sporting's keeper but he claws it away.
21' SALIBA OFF INJURED - Arsenal lose a second defender in this first-half with Rob Holding coming on in his place.
29' EDWARDS MAKES SOLO BREAK - The ex-Spurs man ends up all alone in the Arsenal box so tries to beat Ramsdale but his shot is belatedly blocked.
30' ADAN DENIES JESUS - A silky run from the Brazilian ends with a relatively tame shot that Adan turns around the corner.
63' WHAT A GOAL!! - An absolutely unbelievable moment in this tie as Goncalves darts into the Arsenal half after escaping an attempted Xhaka tackle and lifts a perfect long-range shot over Ramsdale.
79' ADAN DENIES VIEIRA - A dipping free kick comes in from the Portuguese and Adan takes no chances as he punches it clear.
98' TROSSARD OFF THE POST - The Belgian is gifted a chance to win the match, but Adan does just enough to push his shot onto the post.
106' PARTEY SHOOTS WIDE - The Ghanaian hits a trademark curler but it goes just wide.
111' ADAN SAVES FROM GABRIEL - The Arsenal defender can't believe he hasn't scored.
Key stats
Arsenal: 0.04 - The Gunners virtually shut out Sporting in extra-time, restricting them to just 0.04 expected goals of attacking output, while they peppered Adan's goal with shots. It just goes to show that sometimes you don't get the luck going your way.
Sporting: 46 - The straight line distance between Pedro Goncalves and the Arsenal goal before he uncorked his magnificent equaliser was a whopping 46 yards. What a sensational goal it was.
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