A nervy night in North London sees Arsenal progress

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Arsenal 0 - 0 Sporting (Arsenal won 1-0 on aggregate)

Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals after a tense goalless draw with Sporting.

Author | DJ

Stadium | Emirates Stadium

Holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, courtesy of Kai Havertz’s late strike in Portugal, Mikel Arteta’s side did enough to progress and book their spot in the last four.

Watch | Pre match atmosphere

Arsenal began on the front foot and saw plenty of the ball early on, but it was Sporting who created the clearer openings before the break. Francisco Trincao and Pedro Goncalves both threatened, while a misplaced pass from David Raya briefly invited danger. The closest moment arrived when Geny Catamo struck the post with a well-taken volley after being picked out by Maxi Araujo.

There was an undercurrent of anxiety around the stadium as the contest wore on, with Arsenal protecting a narrow lead following their Premier League defeat by Bournemouth last weekend.

Sporting continued to probe after the interval

Araujo spurned a promising opportunity from inside the area, shooting wide when well placed. Arsenal might have eased the tension late on, but Leandro Trossard saw his header from a corner come back off the post.

Watch | Highlights of the match from BBC Sport YouTube account


The result over two legs sends Arsenal into consecutive Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history, with Atletico Madrid awaiting in the next round for a place in the final.
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