Mikel Arteta clarifies Arsenal's dramatic penalty shootout victory over Porto
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his players after they overcame FC Porto on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years.
Mikel Arteta clarifies Arsenal's dramatic penalty shootout victory over Porto
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his players after they overcame FC Porto on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years.
Mikel Arteta has praised David Raya and his goalkeeping coaches after the Arsenal goalkeeper excelled in a dramatic penalty shootout to send his team through to the Champions League quarter-finals against FC Porto .
The Gunners entered the match with the mindset of needing to overturn the 1-0 score in the first leg. They leveled the final score thanks to Leandro Trossard after the end of the first half. The two sides could not decide the winner after 2 official rounds and had to take penalty kicks to decide who would advance.
Raya was Arsenal's hero when he saved two penalty kicks in the shootout to book a place in the quarter-finals. The Gunners' 4-2 victory on penalties means they have reached the final eight for the first time in 14 years.
Arteta said: "Very happy. It's been 14 years, a long time for a club like Arsenal and it shows how difficult they have been. We really had to dig." deep to find the magical moment in that match." We were starting to create an unbelievable energy in the stadium, we were all working to get it done and together we did it.
"You're nervous [watching the penalty shootout], hoping for the best but you know, penalty shootouts are like a lottery. We prepared the day before, so credit to the coaches goalkeeper and everyone who contributed. The match was really difficult. Porto were a real opponent. We didn't have many moments where we could control the game, they were a real team Good.
Arsenal will now face one of Europe's elite sides in the next stage of their competition to reach the last four. The Gunners have never won the competition but they did reach the final in 2006 against Barcelona.
David Raya was Arsenal's hero in the penalty shootout after saving two penalty kicks (Mirror photo)
Arteta's side enter Tuesday night's match in the first division of the Premier League. They will juggle European achievements in the coming weeks in a bid to end a two-decade domestic trophy drought.
When asked about the quality of the remaining teams in the competition, Arteta insisted that he and his team enjoy the challenge, stressing that they want to challenge the elite to win major trophies.
He added: "It's unbelievable, it's where we want to be. We've been patient, worked very hard and a lot of people have made the right decisions and shown courage in the Times are tough and this is where you want to be."
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Adidas Unisex's Goletto VIII Turf Soccer Shoe
About this item
- Turf soccer shoes for comfort and grip
- SYNTHETIC UPPER: Synthetic upper is comfortable and lightweight
- GRIPPY OUTSOLE: Rubber outsole for traction and speed
- Unisex product is men's sizing. Women should size down 1 to 1.5 sizes
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Adidas Unisex's Goletto VIII Turf Soccer Shoe
About this item
- Turf soccer shoes for comfort and grip
- SYNTHETIC UPPER: Synthetic upper is comfortable and lightweight
- GRIPPY OUTSOLE: Rubber outsole for traction and speed
- Unisex product is men's sizing. Women should size down 1 to 1.5 sizes
- MADE WITH RECYCLED CONTENT: Made in part with recycled content generated from production waste, e.g. cutting scraps, and post-consumer household waste to avoid the larger environmental impact of producing virgin content
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