Arsenal 0-0 Sporting (1-0 on aggregate): Champions League quarter-final, second leg - as it happened

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And with that, I’m gone. Tonight’s match reports again. Bye!

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Mikel Arteta has a chat:

double quotation markIt’s a massive moment. It’s the first time in our history that we are back-to-back semi-finals. To be one of those four teams is very special. You have to earn it. It was always going to be difficult. We had moments. In the second half, there are moments where we have to improve a lot to finish our actions. But when you talk about behaviours, attitudes, habits, the team I thought was outstanding on that. The last 15, 20 minutes we controlled the game really well. We controlled the transition really well. Overall, it’s a great night.

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Nick Ames watched a cracker at the Allianz Arena:

A breathless, consistently thrilling game ended with Bayern Munich booking a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain but that tie will be hard pushed to eclipse what happened here. Real Madrid were ahead three times through Arda Guler, twice, and Kylian Mbappé; they were pegged back by Aleksandar Pavlovic, Harry Kane and, at the death, Luis Díaz and in the end had only themselves to blame. Michael Olise rounded things off in added time and it means Real’s last chance of salvaging a big prize from their campaign was left in tatters.

If Manuel Neuer felt relieved after a ropey personal display that contributed to Real’s first two goals, a penny for the thoughts of Eduardo Camavinga after a red card that gave Díaz and Bayern the platform for their decisive late burst. A knife-edge tie that had been see-sawing towards extra time was put well beyond his side in an instant.

Much more here:

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Here’s David Hytner’s match report from the Emirates:

To borrow a line from Mikel Arteta, it is not meant to be easy. And it was anything but on the latest anxiety-ridden, claustrophobic occasion for his Arsenal team.

The club’s recent wobble has been pronounced. The loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. The FA Cup exit at Southampton. The Premier League defeat against Bournemouth. The nerves are pounding like a migraine and this was a night that was entirely outcome-based.

The tie rested on the edge of a knife throughout. Arsenal were tough to watch in an attacking sense, unable to penetrate and create. Arteta had demanded there was no fear. Which was absolutely not the case. It came to be a question of whether Arsenal could keep the backdoor shut. Gloriously, they could.

Much more here:

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And a date for your diary: Sid Lowe will be online from 12pm BST on Thursday to tackle all the big questions about the Champions League, European football and beyond. Keep an eye on the football front page.

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It’s all over in Munich, where Michael Olise scored a fourth in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Bayern have won 4-3 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate, and both Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler were sent off in the final minutes as Real Madrid tumbled out.

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Declan Rice is delighted:

double quotation markFrustrating? Nah, we just got to a semi-final. No frustration, positivity all the way. I’m delighted. Of course, you want to be able to score goals, but most teams that come here, we play against 5-4-1 every time. The space ain’t there, and that’s the actual truth. It’s up to us to break it down but we’re playing against top players, every week. Bring on the last few weeks. It’s a rollercoaster. No one’s going to hand you anything in this game. Our record this year’s been amazing, all competitions. We’ll be ready for [Sunday], ready to go, and how much do you want it? I know I’ll be ready, I know the boys will be ready, so let’s go.

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A couple of new dates for the Arsenal diary, and they find themselves nine (potential) games from history.

19 April: Manchester City v Arsenal

25 April: Arsenal v Newcastle

29 April: Atlético Madrid v Arsenal

2 May: Arsenal v Fulham

5 May: Arsenal v Atlético Madrid

10 May: West Ham v Arsenal

17 May: Arsenal v Burnley

24 May: Crystal Palace v Arsenal

30 May: Champions League final?

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Meanwhile in Munich, Luis Diaz has scored in the 89th minute to make it 3-3 on the night and give Bayern a 5-4 aggregate lead over Real Madrid!

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Final score: Arsenal 0-0 Sporting (1-0 on aggregate)

90+5 mins: Chance! Shot! Miss! Sporting hit the side netting from the edge of the area, and the referee blows his whistle!

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90+4 mins: They lob it into the area, and Raya comes out to catch it. He throws it fast and long to Trossard, who gives it away too easily.

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90+4 mins: Now the referee sees a handball when there isn’t one. At least, I think that’s what he thinks he’s seen. Sporting have a free-kick.

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90+3 mins: Sporting have the ball, but don’t appear to have any ideas.

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90+2 mins: A poor corner from Rice floats into play and back out again.

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90+1 mins: Havertz uses his left arm to control the ball, but the referee doesn’t spot it, Arsenal end up with a corner, and Sporting are displeased.

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90+1 mins: Four minutes of stoppage time stand between Arsenal and the semi-finals.

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90 mins: Into the last minute. Quenda curls in a tasty-looking cross, but Saliba wins the header.

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88 mins: Arsenal are keeping the ball very well at the moment. Raya boots a long ball forward and though a defender wins that header, Arsenal are all over the second ball and get it straight back again.

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87 mins: Arsenal look the more likely scorers at the moment. Trossard nudges the ball through Diomande’s legs and would have had a superb shooting chance if only Diomande hadn’t still existed. As it is, he’s in the way.

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86 mins: Sporting bring on Giorgios Vagiannidis and Rafael Nel, with Quaresma and Trincao coming off. It’s do or die now for the Portuguese.

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85 mins: Close! Great work from Jesus to spin his man on the left, and he gets into the area, convinces the keeper that he’s going to cross and then shoots, from a very acute angle. Not a terrible idea, but the execution isn’t there. Goal kick.

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84 mins: Arsenal hit the post! Dowman takes a right-wing corner, Trossard meets it way beyond the far post, and really hitting the post was probably the best he could do. And he does it. So that’s good.

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Updated at 16.49 EDT

80 mins: The free-kick drops at the feet of Havertz, who’s facing the wrong way and backheels into a defender.

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80 mins: Araujo is booked for fouling Dowman. Not a lot of contact, but what there was was late and of the studs-on-foot variety.

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79 mins: Arsenal take off Eze and Martinelli and bring on Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard.

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78 mins: Some substitutional news: Sporting have brought on Geovany Quenda, Daniel Braganca and Joao Simoes, and taken off Catamo, Goncalves and Morita.

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77 mins: Their corner leads to another corner, which leads to the referee giving a free-kick for a foul on the goalkeeper, who nobody touches.

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75 mins: It’s increasingly fraught. Sporting must score. Arsenal would quite like to but don’t need to and aren’t sure how. The referee isn’t sure what he ought to be doing. Arsenal have a corner.

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Updated at 16.34 EDT

72 mins: Havertz goes down on the left. The referee gives Sporting a free-kick.

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70 mins: The match has turned a bit bad-tempered in the last few minutes, and the referee decides he needs to stamp it out and can identify the person behind it. Mikel Arteta is booked.

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68 mins: Raya catches Catamo’s cross. “Arsenal famously used to train their back four by connecting them with a long rope,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “These days they look like the whole team is tangled up in a rope tied to both feet stopping anything that looks like spontaneous movement (with the occasional exception of Eze).”

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65 mins: Sporting attack, Catamo’s shot deflects towards Goncalves, and he goes down with Mosquera’s hands on his back. He seemed very keen to fall, and was possibly falling before Mosquera made contact, but he probably was pushed. No penalty.

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63 mins: Dowman is now on, and Madueke off.

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Updated at 16.25 EDT

62 mins: It looks like Madueke’s night is going to end here. And cometh the hour, cometh the (Dow)man.

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60 mins: Madueke runs into Goncalves on the left touchline, near halfway. The referee waves play on, and Sporting end up with a corner. Madueke, meanwhile, stays down. An email from Angus Chisholm: “‘Two different classes of games by two different classes of teams’ does ring true insofar as Bayern and Real Madrid have conceded eight (8) goals in three halves of football,” he notes. “Defending is a good and important skill in football and as long as Arsenal remain very good at it they’ll be in with a shout of winning any game, even if their currently blunt attack means they’ll be living on the edge more than they’d like.” Fair point.

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58 mins: Now Madueke runs across the penalty area from the right, benefits from a lucky rebound off Hjulmand, ends up with a shooting chance from the left, and lashes it into the side netting.

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Updated at 16.21 EDT

57 mins: Arsenal bring Kai Havertz on for Gyokeres, who has been poor.

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56 mins: And, suddenly, promise! Madueke does well on the right, his cross is headed away but only as far as Martinelli, and he volleys high from the edge of the area.

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55 mins: Arsenal toil on the left flank for a while, win and take a few throw-ins, and then cross blindly to a defender.

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52 mins: Rui Silva catches the corner under little pressure. “We’re just so blunt in attack, although Sporting are defending well,” writes David Penney. “I feel a 0-0 is the best and most realistic outcome on Sunday, bar a scrappy goal from a corner.”

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51 mins: Arsenal have a corner. Either Arsenal’s fans are still making a lot of noise or someone on the TV sound mixing desk is doing an exceptionally good job.

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50 mins: Another Eze shot, this from 23 yards or so, hit with real venom but not real accuracy.

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48 mins: Araujo is found on the left of the area, he cuts inside Mosquera and attempts a curler towards the far post, which refuses to curl.

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46 mins: Within 25 seconds Arsenal have a shot, from the right foot of Eze, out on the right of the penalty area. It would have taken a catastrophic goalkeeping mistake for it to go in, and there isn’t one.

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46 mins: Peeeeep! Arsenal get the ball back rolling.

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The two teams emerge for the second half. No changes have been made to either of them.

While I’ve got your attention, if you happen to be at a loose end tomorrow Sid Lowe will be online from 12pm BST to tackle all the big questions about the Champions League, European football and beyond. Keep an eye on the football front page.

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Updated at 17.02 EDT

I’ve spent a fun few minutes catching up with the goals in tonight’s other game on TNT Sports’ X feed. It does rather feel that tonight is seeing two very different classes of game being played by two very different classes of teams.

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“Why are Arsenal playing like it’s the last five minutes of a cup tie that they’re losing?” wonders Harry Christie. “They look frantic. Someone needs to remind them that they’re winning.” Big 10 minutes for Mikel Arteta, who’s got to remind his team how to keep and use the ball (against what has been, to be fair, a very vigorous, impressive press).

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Half time: Arsenal 0-0 Sporting (1-0 on aggregate)

45+1 mins: And that is indeed that. It has been a decent game, but there’s been nothing to suggest I’m watching the European champions.

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Updated at 15.49 EDT

45+1 mins: Eze, with what is probably the last meaningful kick of the half, sends a 20-yarder over the bar.

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45+1 mins: Into stoppage time, of which there’ll be a single minute.

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45 mins: And now Mbappe has made it 2-3 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate!

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43 mins: Sporting hit the post! Araujo lifts the ball across goal from the left and into the path of Catamo, whose volley back across goal beats the keeper but not the woodwork! “It pains me in the US how sloppy Arsenal is,” writes Tom Gauthier. “Their attack is so disjointed I’m convinced they don’t spend any training time in the attack. It resembles watching an amateur youth game.”

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Updated at 15.51 EDT

42 mins: It’s now 2-2 in tonight’s other Champions League game, between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Harry Kane has scored Bayern’s second equaliser on the night, and they lead 4-3 on aggregate.

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40 mins: Two terrible passes: one from Raya to present the ball from Trincao, one from Trincao to present it right back again. Criminal not to turn that into a shot.

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