JAKARTA - Arsenal failed to conquer Sporting Lisbon and only drew 0-0 in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal at the Emirates Stadium, Thursday, April 16, 2026 early morning WIB. The result was able to send Arsenal to the semifinals to meet Atletico Madrid.
The draw was indeed less than satisfactory for Arsenal who played in front of their own supporters. Moreover, Arsenal seems to have declined.
In the last five matches in various competitions, Arsenal have lost three times, including being humiliated by Bournemouth 2-1 at home in the English Premier League and only once winning when defeating Sporting 1-0 in the first quarter final.
Furthermore, the team coached by Mikel Arteta failed to score and only drew when hosting Sporting. However, Arsenal still qualified for the semi-finals due to the 1-0 aggregate win. In the top four, the Gunners met a team that was no less formidable, Atletico, who eliminated Barcelona in a duel between La Liga teams in Spain.
In the match against Sporting, Arsenal who tried to erase the bad results in the domestic competition immediately appeared to be pressing. They played with high intensity because they only won one goal in the first match.
Forward Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the second minute. Only Martinelli's cross could still be blocked by the Sporting back. Next, they got a few chances but none could be converted into a goal.
Sporting themselves also got a chance through striker Luis Suarez. Only his kick still soared over the crossbar of David Raya. No goal was created so the score remained 0-0 at halftime.
Entering the second half, the match remained open as both teams took turns to pressure. Sporting got several chances, including from Maximilliano Araujo. But he failed to convert into a goal.
Arsenal also tried to retaliate when Leandro Trossard almost broke the visiting team's goal. But his kick still hit the Sporting goalpost.
Both teams continued to press each other. Several opportunities from Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke were not able to break the deadlock. The solid defense line of both teams kept the score at a draw until the end of the match.
Despite failing to win, Arteta was still satisfied because Arsenal could qualify for the semi-finals. Only he admitted that the match was indeed not easy because Sporting gave a tight fight. Moreover, he could not field the best team. Arsenal lost Bukayo Saka, captain Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber who have not recovered from injuries.
"We failed to play our best game. We are aware of that. However, I appreciate what the players have done when we lost a pillar player," Arteta said as quoted by france24.
"We have to do everything to get the best result. It's about how you can compete and try to win the title. That's what it takes," he said.
Arteta also admitted that he was proud to bring Arsenal to the Champions League semi-finals for the second time in a row. Last season, they also reached the last four before being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain who then emerged as champions.
"This is an incredible achievement. This is the first time in the club's 140-year history, we can qualify for the semi-finals for the second time in a row. Getting into the top four is certainly a special thing and we deserve it after hard work," said Arteta again.
Meanwhile, Sporting coach Rui Borges was not less proud of his team's performance. They performed their best and forced Arsenal to have difficulty scoring goals. In fact, according to him, Sporting should have been ahead and forcing extra time.
"We played very well and created more chances. On the other hand, Arsenal created many chances in our defensive area. Not only in this match but also when playing in Lisbon," said Borges.
"I'm still proud of the players for what they did during these two matches. We should have achieved better results and had the opportunity to finish the match in extra time. Sporting created more opportunities in the two matches against one of the best teams in Europe. This is impressive," he said again.
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