Joy: Mikel Arteta, left, and David Raya. Picture Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has nothing but praise for his players after holding their nerve to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
The Gunners came out on top in a feisty showdown thanks to goalkeeper David Raya’s heroics in a 4-2 penalty shootout win after Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal ensured a 1-1 deadlock in two-legged last-16 tie with Porto at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Dinge got tense after Raya clinched the victory with his second save of the shootout, as the opposing players had to be pulled apart, with Porto boss Sergio Conceicao accusing Arteta of “insulting his family” – claims Arsenal and Arteta deny.
Arteta had no comment on the matter when he spoke to the media after the game and instead says of his players: “For them to do it when the club hasn’t managed to do it for 14 years, it tells you the difficulty of it.
“When the margins are so small, we found a way to do it again.”
Spain goalkeeper David Raya, on loan from Brentford, said it was the biggest night of his career, adding: “They played their game and made things very difficult for us, but in the end, it went down to penalties and the players did their part, scored the goals and I was lucky enough to save two.
“I think it’s one of the biggest moments in my career, my whole career.”
The Gunners will have to wait until Friday’s quarter-final to find out who they face next in Europe.
The Premier League leaders’ next assignment, though, is a trip to treble winners Manchester City on 31 March.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za
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