With a shootout victory, David Raya propels Arsenal to the Champions League quarterfinals

Arsenal defeated Porto 4-2 in penalties on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. David Raya was the game’s MVP.

After an intense second leg at the Emirates, the teams were tied at 1-1 on aggregate, but Raya made two saves in the shootout to crush the hearts of the two-time winners.

The home team converted all four of their penalties as the noise level skyrocketed, and the goalie dove full stretch to deny Wendell. He then replicated the feat against Galeno.

Since the Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid Champions League final in 2016, this is the first time a match has been decided on penalties.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports, “You are very nervous, you are hoping for the best but you know that it (the shootout) is a bit of a lottery.”

“Very joyful. For a team like Arsenal, 14 years is a long time to go without making it to the quarterfinals, and it illustrates how difficult it was. It took a lot of work for us to identify the pivotal moment at the conclusion.

“This is where you want to be because we’ve been patient, worked so hard, and many people have made wise decisions and shown courage in trying times,” he said.

The Brentford loanee, Raya, described it as a “great moment personally and collectively.”

“Everything is at stake here. These kinds of things are why you play football, and I consider myself fortunate to be playing for Arsenal, to be in the Champions League, and to have advanced to the quarterfinals.

Arteta’s Premier League leaders, who have scored 33 goals in their last eight league games, trailed 1-0 after the first leg and were not at their most fluid against a well-organized Porto team.

Just before halftime, Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal an equalizer, demonstrating that their perseverance had paid off.

For extended periods in the first half, Sergio Conceicao’s club was able to frustrate the home team and create enough opportunities of their own to give the eager spectators cause for concern.

In a rough first half, both teams had trouble getting going. Porto tried their hardest to slow down the action by taking their time on throw-ins and goal kicks, much to the annoyance of the home fans.

The home team’s first serious assault was headed over by Arsenal defender Ben White in the fourth minute, and ten minutes later, captain Martin Odegaard struck the side netting.

However, Porto, who won the European Championship the previous time around under Jose Mourinho in 2004, had many opportunities.

Moments after Evanilson’s long-range effort at goal bounced wide, he sent a soaring effort that Raya palmed away.

Declan Rice missed the mark with his header, and Pepe (the first 41-year-old to start in the Champions League as an outfield player) used the lightest touch on his head to deny Kai Havertz a chance to score from a cross by White at the back post.

Innovation:

After some excellent work by Odegaard, who ducked past an opponent and supplied Trossard with a precisely weighted low ball into the box, the breakthrough eventually arrived in the 41st minute.

To defuse the situation, Trossard calmly sent a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Diogo Costa and into the far corner of the net.

The visitors, who had made 22 prior tries to win a game in England, came out strong in the second half as Arsenal found it difficult to establish themselves.

When Odegaard dinked the ball into an empty net halfway through the second half, Arsenal believed they had doubled their advantage, but Havertz’s foul on Pepe caused the goal to be disallowed.

Shortly after, Raya stopped Francisco Conceicao’s attempt from beyond the penalty area as Porto surged forward.

In the 83rd minute, Arteta substituted Gabriel Jesus, and the former Manchester City player almost scored with his first touch.

Bukayo Saka attempted a classic curling shot as Arsenal pressed for the victory, but it was punched back into the center, and Odegaard mishandled the rebound when it was in a good position.

Early in the extra period, the home team seemed more threatening, but Porto still posed a threat when they broke, as replacement Mehdi Taremi missed the mark.

For the second overtime session, Arteta substituted Eddie Nketiah and Oleksandr Zinchenko; nevertheless, neither team was able to produce a winner, therefore penalties were used.