JAKARTA - Arsenal did not field a second-string team or release a match in the Champions League even though they had qualified for the last 16. In the big match against Inter Milan in the preliminary round at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan, Wednesday, January 21, 2026 early morning WIB, Arsenal showed the best performance and won 3-1. The victory made Arsenal make a perfect record in the European competition.
Arsenal, who lead the Champions League standings, are the only team to always win. During the seven matches, Arsenal made a perfect record. Including when they beat Inter so that the Gunners got 21 points.
This match actually has no effect anymore for Arsenal who have automatically qualified for the knockout round or the last 16. However, Mikel Arteta's team still performed optimally in away games. This is also a big match in the Champions League because Inter, who are the elite European team, are currently perched at the top of the Italian Serie A standings.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, who are hunting for the first Premier League trophy since 2004, are still at the top of the standings. Even though in the last league match Nottingham Forest was held 0-0, Arsenal is already seven points ahead of Manchester City who humiliated Manchester United 2-0.
The victory over Inter is also a valuable asset for Arsenal who aspire to continue their success when playing the next big match in the domestic competition. They will host Man Utd who are increasingly confident in the match at the Emirates, Sunday, January 25, 2026.
On the other hand, the defeat at home to Arsenal made Inter have to work hard in the last match because they were thrown out of the top eight. The bad result made Inter drop to ninth place with 12 points. They are one point behind the other Serie A team, Atalanta, who are in eighth place.
However, Inter must meet a tough opponent in the last match of the Champions League. They visited the home of the German Bundesliga top team Borussia Dortmund. It is not a trivial matter when coming to Dortmund because the hosts also need a victory to get an automatic ticket to the 16th.
The match between Inter and Arsenal itself was fierce and tight. Even though they were playing at home, Arteta still rotated the players by putting striker Gabriel Jesus as a center forward supported by Bukayo Saka. Jesus replaced Viktor Gyokeres who was on the bench. Arteta also gave the opportunity to Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino as starters.
Inter, who needed a win, came down with full strength. Coach Cristian Chivu deployed the attacking duo of Marcus Thuram and captain Lautaro Martinez. The 1-0 victory over Udinese made I Nerazzurri more confident.
However, the hosts did not expect to face Arsenal's offensive attack. As a result, they were beaten because the North London club immediately hit their defense.
Jesus, who received full trust from Arteta after recovering from an ACL injury that forced him to rest for almost a year, immediately showed his sharpness. The Brazilian national team striker opened Arsenal's victory when the match was only 10 minutes. He welcomed an assist from Jurrien Timber to defeat goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Only Arsenal's 1-0 lead did not last long. Eight minutes later, midfielder Petar Sucic equalized. The goal started from Thuram's kick which could still be blocked. However, the ball then rebounded and led to Sucic. In a perfect position, his first time shot broke into David Raya's goal.
The 1-1 draw made the match go back and forth. Inter, motivated by Sucic's goal, tried to match Arsenal's game. Even the visiting team took the lead again through a set piece which is the mainstay of Arteta's team to break the opponent's goal.
Arsenal's second goal started from a dead ball, namely a corner kick by Saka. The ball heading to the Inter goal was received by Leandro Trossard. He then headed the ball past the goal and was received by Jesus.
Without difficulty, Jesus broke Sommer's goal for the second time in the 31st minute. Jesus' success in scoring a brace showed that Arsenal had broken the opponent's goal 25 times through set pieces this season. In fact, this is Arsenal's 19th goal which started from a corner kick.
The score changed 2-1 and Inter tried to put pressure on. The hosts almost equalized when Federico Dimarco got a good chance before the first half. But his shot from close range could be thwarted by Raya. The Spanish goalkeeper brilliantly dived to thwart Dimarco's chances. The score remained 2-1 at halftime.
In the second half, Arsenal's game did not change. They still looked offensive. As a result, the visiting team got two chances through Eze and Trossard. But their efforts were not successful.
Meanwhile, Inter began to have difficulty opening up opportunities to score. However, Inter got a chance through substitute striker Pio Esposito who managed to control the ball and then directed it into the Arsenal goal. Only his kick was still wide.
Arsenal also enjoyed the game with a solid game. Not only that, when the match entered the final part, they managed to add a goal. Gyokeres who replaced Jesus finally strengthened Arsenal's advantage.
Gyokeres entered in the 75th minute and then broke the Inter goal in the 84th minute. The goal started from Gyokeres' slick collaboration with Gabriel Martinelli. Gyokeres then passed the ball to Saka. When there was a crisis, Saka then passed the ball to Gyokeres who could convert it into a goal.
"I'm happy because Vik came in and scored a goal. I'm happy because me and Vik scored goals," Jesus said in response to Arsenal's goals. The score changed to 3-1 for Arsenal. The lead lasted until the end of the match because both teams failed to add goals.
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