UEFA Champions League: Havertz Hails Raya as Arsenal Edge Sporting in Lisbon
Kai Havertz scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to hand Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
The German forward, introduced as a second-half substitute, poked home Gabriel Martinelli’s low cross past Rui Silva to give the Premier League leaders a slender advantage heading into next week’s return leg at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal arrived under pressure after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, and Sporting nearly compounded their woes when Maxi Araujo rattled the crossbar early on following a clever pass from Ousmane Diomande.
The Gunners dominated possession but struggled to carve out clear chances, with Noni Madueke striking the bar directly from a corner.
Sporting remained dangerous on the counter, Francisco Trincao firing wide after another surge from Araujo.
Arsenal thought they had broken the deadlock when Martin Zubimendi curled in from the edge of the box, but the goal was ruled out for offside against Viktor Gyokeres in the build-up.
As the hosts pressed late on, goalkeeper David Raya produced three crucial saves to keep Arsenal level before Havertz’s decisive intervention.
Speaking afterwards, Havertz praised his teammates and highlighted the importance of the win.
‘To score a late goal is always nice, especially in front of the fans. We lost our last two matches, so we wanted a turnaround today and we made that happen. We stick together as a group, we have so much more to come this season. Seven weeks to go, we can win big titles and we’re going to go for that.’
The forward also reserved special praise for Raya.
‘Unbelievable. I think still underestimated in the world of football but for me, the last two seasons, the best keeper in the world. He’s outstanding, he’s saved us so many times and we’re very glad to have him.’
