Arsenal came from behind against Girona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, having fallen behind when Arnaut Danjuma took advantage of Neto’s poor positioning inside the opening half hour.
Danjuma’s opener wasn’t the first chance the Blanquivermells had forced, but Mikel Arteta’s Gunners had made up for their sloppy start by the break as a penalty from Jorginho and a curled effort from Ethan Nwaneri handed them the half-time lead.
The visitors qualify for the round-of-16, having finished third in the league phase.
As it happened
Despite knowing that their team would be unable to continue in the Champions League regardless of the result, fans of the Blanquivermells contributed to a lively atmosphere at the Estadi Montilivi on Wednesday night.
The hosts came astonishingly close to taking a surprise lead in the early stages, as Neto’s loose touch – his first as an Arsenal player since signing from Bournemouth – was chased down by Yáser Asprilla after Arsenal opted to play a corner back to their own goalkeeper.
But just as the Gunners looked to be settling down and gaining control of proceedings, the visitors found themselves trailing as another mistake from Neto allowed Arnaut Danjuma to curl home the opener. Played through on goal by Juanpe’s through ball, the Dutchman merely had to finish: a task that was made immensely easier by Neto’s bizarre positioning, with the shotstopper quite some way outside of his area.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Blanquivermells threatened to double their newfound lead within mere minutes, with another chance for Danjuma coming as Abel Ruiz combined well with Viktor Tsygankov – but the latter’s square ball into the box for the winger was poor.
Girona’s spell of dominance was quickly cut short by the Gunners though, with a soft penalty awarded to the visitors after Martinez Arnau was deemed to have impeded Thomas Partey’s progression into the box. Jorginho expertly despatched from twelve yards out, restoring parity with less than ten minutes remaining before the break.
Arsenal’s momentum had them firing on all cylinders, and just four short minutes after Jorginho’s penalty, the visitors found themselves leading. Neat buildup saw Martin Ødegaard feed Leandro Trossard, the Belgian then finding Ethan Nwaneri on the edge of the box. The 17-year-old cut inside with purpose, opening up space to curl a left-footed strike past Pau Lopez.
The action died down somewhat in the second half, though Girona’s desperation for a heroic equaliser was certainly not dampened – and the hosts thought they’d found what they’d been searching for with less than 15 minutes remaining as Cristhian Stuani tapped home at the back post, only to be denied by a VAR check that found Portu had strayed offside in the buildup.
The Gunners could have extended their lead in stoppage time, but a fine penalty save from Pau Lopez denied Raheem Sterling from the spot after a blatant handball from Alejandro Francés.
It was, given the circumstances, a disappointing end to Girona’s fairytale maiden campaign in the UEFA Champions League – but Míchel and his men should look back at their cameo appearance on Europe’s greatest stage with pride, having truly made the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool work for slender victories.
The Gunners progress directly to the round-of-16, having finished third in the league phase of the revamped UEFA Champions League.
The lineups
GIR: Lopez; Frances, Juanpe, Yaakobishvili, Arnau; Martín, Romeu; Danjuma, Asprilla, Tsygankov; Ruiz
ARS: Neto; Calafiori, Gabriel, Kiwior, Partey; Merino, Jorginho, Ødegaard; Sterling, Trossard, Nwaneri