Arsenal vs Porto Player Ratings: Raya-our hero, skipper Ødegaard our leader by AA
Breathe!!! What a sigh of relief! Who would have thought that we would need the lottery of penalty to get past Porto, considering our brilliant form?
Once Trossard scored, one expected Arsenal to take control of the game and finish the Portuguese off but they couldn’t do so and looked like the second-best team in the game at some point.
Well, the end justifies the means and the Gunners would now play in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 19 solid years!
Below is my player ratings for the game
Raya (9):
He made a good save to deny Evanilson in the first half, made another to deny Francisco Conceição in the second half, and would go on to save two penalties during the shootouts
Undoubtedly, man-of-the-match.
White(7):
He did well to cope with the threat of Galeno, making sure the Brazilian was anonymous all game.
Saliba (6):
Got his feathers ruffled by Evanilson and deservedly got booked for a cynical foul. He eventually grew into the game in the second half.
Gabriel(6.5):
The Brazilian did fairly better than his defensive teammate, Saliba, though he didn’t face as much threat as the French man.
Kiwior(5):
The Polish left so much space behind whenever he bumped forward but Porto couldn’t take advantage, an average performance from the versatile defender if we are being honest.
Jorginho (5):
The Italian was far from his usual best. On a night that we needed his experience, he was disappointing. He was deservedly hooked off, seven minutes before the end of the regulation time.
Rice(6.5):
This was far from his majestic best as he failed to impose himself on the game. He got involved more when he was withdrawn to the number 6 role.
His penalty was cool, that must be said.
Ødegaard(8):
The skipper created the first goal with sheer brilliance, particularly at a time when we weren’t playing well.
He stepped up to score the first penalty, demonstrating his unquestionable leadership.
Saka (6):
Besides his shot on target early on in the game, he was largely ineffective as he was tamed by Wendell. He did well to dispatch his penalty though.
Trossard (7):
Drifted well to create space himself for the first goal and showed great composure for the finish. He struggled to impact the game afterward.
Havertz(6):
He got subdued by the aging Pepe and his defensive partner Otávio da Silva, thereby explaining his anonymity in the contest. The German didn’t get any better when he went into the midfield, but also did well to convert his penalty
Substitutes
Jesus(5): Started the game lively but didn’t take long before he got subdued.
Zinchenko(5): He couldn’t influence the contest when he came on too.
Nketiah(5): Brought on to create more threat but failed to deliver though he only spent a little time on the pitch.
Abdulkareem Abdulhamid
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