Arsenal ends 14-year wait for Champions League quarterfinals

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LONDON, March 13, (AP): Arsenal’s 14-year wait for a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals is over, thanks largely to David Raya’s penalty saves.

Raya tipped one spot kick by Porto’s Wendell against the post and then palmed away another from Galeno to secure a 4-2 win in a penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium.
It ended a long streak of round-of-16 losses for Arsenal, which had been eliminated at this stage in its last seven appearances in the competition but won 1-0 to level the aggregate score at 1-1.

And it was a massive moment for Raya, who was brought in last summer to replace Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s No. 1 – a decision that has been frequently questioned by the club’s supporters this season.
“It’s a great feeling for me personally, first time in the Champions League and for the club to get into the quarterfinals for the first time in so many years,” Raya said. “We’ve worked a lot on penalties this year and all the hard work with the goalie coach and the team has paid off.”
It was the first penalty shootout in the Champions League since the 2016 final won by Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal trailed 1-0 from the first leg in Portugal – when Galeno scored the winner deep into stoppage time – but went level through Leandro Trossard’s 41st-minute goal. Neither side could find another goal despite extra time as Porto’s disciplined defensive tactics largely held Arsenal at bay.
Arsenal endured seven straight round-of-16 losses under Arsene Wenger from 2011-17, the last time the London club played in the competition. Porto last reached the quarterfinals in 2021 but hasn’t been past that stage since winning the title in 2004 under Jose Mourinho.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta now has a chance to do what Wenger never could – win Europe’s biggest trophy.
“So happy. It has been 14 years, which is a long time for a club like Arsenal and it shows how difficult it was,” said Arteta, whose team is also top of the Premier League. “We had to dig in to find the magic moment at the end. We’re starting to create an unbelievable energy i

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