Slavia Prague vs Arsenal Review
Arsenal matched a club record by keeping eight consecutive clean sheets across all competitions after defeating Slavia Prague 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League, preserving their perfect start to this season’s tournament. Slavia’s coach, Jindřich Trpišovský, had promised an intense and aggressive performance against Arsenal, and the lively atmosphere at the Fortuna Arena fueled that energy early on. However, Arsenal remained unfazed by the fast pace of the match and nearly took the lead within the first two minutes when Gabriel Magalhães, known recently for scoring headers from set-pieces, fired a left-footed volley from the edge of the box that narrowly missed.
While Slavia showed occasional attacking efforts, it was Arsenal who generated the most significant chances, with Bukayo Saka twice forcing saves from goalkeeper Jakub Markovič midway through the first half. Mikel Arteta’s team had a great opportunity to take the lead around the 30-minute mark when Gabriel’s header near the goalpost was ruled to have been blocked by Lukáš Provod’s hand. Although referee Aliyar Aghayev initially missed the incident, he quickly awarded a penalty after reviewing the pitch-side monitor. Saka confidently converted the penalty, sending the ball into the bottom corner.
Just 36 seconds into the second half, Arsenal scored goal from open play to double their lead. Leandro Trossard played a key role in the buildup by delivering a perfect cross to Mikel Merino, who was six yards from goal and didn’t hesitate to power the ball into the net. At that point, the match was effectively decided due to Arsenal’s strong defense. However, with many injuries and a very limited bench, Arteta couldn’t afford to make many changes, especially with the upcoming weekend match against Sunderland in mind.
He did bring on summer signing Eberechi Eze, but it was two of his starting players who combined for Arsenal’s third goal. Declan Rice’s cross seemed headed for the goalkeeper Markovič, but Merino intercepted and scored his second goal of the night with a header. In the final moments, Arsenal concentrated on defending their goal and faced a tense moment when referee Aghayev initially awarded a penalty following a collision between Ben White and Lukáš Provod in the penalty area. However, after quickly reviewing the pitchside monitor, he reversed his decision, much to the relief of Arsenal supporters.
Additionally, Arsenal brought on 15-year-old Max Dowman, who became the youngest player ever in Champions League history. It was an almost flawless evening for the Gunners as they are level on points with Bayern in the group stage standings. Meanwhile, Slavia remain without a win in this season’s main tournament and are already close to being eliminated early.
