Because of David Raya’s penalty saves, Arsenal’s 14-year wait for a trip to the Champions League quarterfinals is now history.
To ensure a 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium, Raya first palmed away a spot kick from Galeno and then deflected one from Wendell of Porto against the post.
Arsenal, who had lost at this point in each of its previous seven tournament attempts, finally halted a lengthy run of round-of-16 defeats when they triumphed 1-0 to tie the overall score at 1-1.
And it was a huge moment for Raya, who was signed in the summer to take Aaron Ramsdale’s spot as Arsenal’s first choice. This season, fans of the team have questioned the choice made by Raya.
Raya remarked, “Obviously, it’s a great feeling for me personally—my first Champions League match and the club’s first quarterfinal appearance in so many years.” “This year, we’ve worked really hard on penalties, and the team’s and the goalie coach’s efforts have paid off.” Since Real Madrid‘s victory over Atletico Madrid in the 2016 Champions League final, it was the first time the competition had gone to penalties.
Leandro Trossard’s goal in the 41st minute pulled Arsenal even after they had trailed 1-0 after Galeno’s late-game victory in the first leg in Portugal. Despite extra time, neither team was able to score any more goals as Porto’s solid defensive strategies kept Arsenal mostly at bay.
Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal lost seven straight round-of-16 matches from 2011 to 2017, the last season the London team participated in the competition. Porto hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals since winning the championship in 2004 under Jose Mourinho; their most recent appearance was in 2021. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta now has a chance to do what Wenger never could — win Europe’s biggest trophy.
