Sporting CP vs Arsenal Review
Sporting CP suffered their first defeat following Ruben Amorim’s exit, as Arsenal secured a convincing 5-1 victory in the Champions League, breaking the hosts’ nine-match winning streak at the Estadio José Alvalade. Despite Sporting’s previous success at home, it was Arsenal that played like the home team in the first half.
The Gunners took the lead within just seven minutes when Gabriel Martinelli scored from Jurriën Timber’s precise cross after a well-executed passing sequence. Later in the half, they doubled their lead with another smooth play on the right, resulting in Bukayo Saka scoring before Kai Havertz added the finishing touch. Sporting’s best opportunity came from Geovany Quenda, whose powerful shot tested David Raya, but Arsenal managed to score a third goal before halftime, with Gabriel Magalhães heading in Declan Rice’s corner from close range.
At the beginning of the second half, the home team scored from a corner kick. Hidemasa Morita’s powerful shot was parried by Raya, and from the resulting corner, Gonçalo Inácio tapped in Francisco Trincão’s low cross at the near post, marking Sporting’s 56th consecutive home game with a goal. However, after their strong start, Ousmane Diomande fouled Martin Ødegaard in the penalty area, leading to a penalty for Arsenal during their first significant attack of the half. Saka converted the penalty, placing the ball in the bottom corner beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.
Sporting continued to fight back, with Morten Hjulmand forcing Raya to save a powerful shot, and Trincão’s deflected attempt just going over the bar. Despite their efforts, the damage was done in the first half, and Arsenal managed to score a fifth goal late in the game, with substitute Leandro Trossard heading in from close range. Viktor Gyökeres was mostly kept quiet throughout the match but had a late shot that Raya expertly tipped onto the crossbar. Ultimately, the Gunners ended a five-match winless streak in Champions League away games and extended their unbeaten head-to-head record against Sporting to seven games.
