Mikel Arteta lamented Arsenal’s lack of aggression in the Champions League defeat at Porto but said it would be “cruel” to assess their return to the knockout stages solely on the game-winning goal in the last moments.
Porto, third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, upset a drab Gunners side with a fantastic last-minute winner from Galeno to reclaim a slender edge in London. After scoring 11 goals in their last two Premier League games, Arsenal had a bad night in Portugal, failing to register a shot on target for the first time in two years – and were stunned when Galeno cut inside and hit a superb long-range effort past David Raya in the fourth minute of extra time.
Galeno could have put Porto ahead in the first half, but he missed two sitters from close range, first hitting the post and then shooting wide on the rebound.
Arsenal’s best chances came from set pieces, with William Saliba, Gabriel, and Kai Havertz all missing deadball opportunities. However, Galeno’s stunning victory means Mikel Arteta’s team will have to come from behind to advance to the quarterfinals when the second leg takes place on March 12.
“We lacked threat, we lacked much more threat. More aggression [was needed], especially when we had the ball in the final third, especially in the back with more purpose to help them.
We will tweak a few things to attack better especially because, to be fair, we haven’t conceded much at all. But we can do better.” Said, Mikel Arteta.
Porto had a couple more chances, with Nico Gonzalez blasting over from distance and top scorer Evanilson firing straight at David Raya from inside the penalty area.
