Arsenal’s Champions League campaign is off to a strong start after a 2-0 victory over Athletic Club, in what felt like a repeat of their Emirates Cup meeting earlier this year.
Athletic, who battled their way into Europe’s elite competition, showed grit but lacked the cutting edge to trouble Mikel Arteta’s side.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe game began scrappily, with Declan Rice receiving an early yellow card in the seventh minute. From then until the break, chances were scarce, as both sides struggled to find rhythm.
Athletic came out of the tunnel with intent, making the first change as Unai Gómez replaced R. Navarro. Arsenal soon responded, bringing on Leandro Trossard for Viktor Gyökeres, a decision that would prove pivotal.
Arteta’s substitutions made all the difference. In the 71st minute, Gabriel Martinelli replaced Eberechi Eze, and just a minute later, the Brazilian opened the scoring with an assist from Trossard. The Belgian then added his own name to the scoresheet in the 82nd minute, this time assisted by Martinelli.
Embed from Getty ImagesAthletic’s frustrations grew as the game wore on. Unai Gómez’s game ended prematurely due to injury, while Jauregizar and Zubimendi were both booked for dissent and time-wasting respectively. Madueke also saw yellow for time-wasting before being substituted.
Six minutes of added time were not enough for Athletic to find a way back. Arsenal saw out the win with composure, securing three important points on the road and building early momentum in Group Stage play.
Arteta will be delighted with the impact of his bench, while Athletic will be left ruing their lack of attacking threat despite brave effort.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Pejuola Ransome
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