Player ratings: Arsenal loses to late goal in first Champions League knockout since 2017 against Porto

After losing to a last-minute goal against Porto in their last 16 first leg, Arsenal needs to work hard to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years.

Galeno, Porto’s winger, scored the decisive goal of the match in the last second with an incredible long-range strike. This ended a match that struggled to gain momentum over the preceding 93 minutes.

Arsenal is faced with a 1-0 aggregate deficit, which they need to overcome at the Emirates Stadium next month.

Arsenal dominated the ball after the first shaky five minutes, but Porto's robust defense was clearly visible. Arsenal’s tactics seemed ineffective, with no hint of scoring a goal.

The first shot came from Porto halfway through the first half. Surprisingly, Porto didn’t take the lead when Galeno hit a half volley against the post from close range. Although the ball rebounded back to Galeno, he failed to capitalize and fired it wide.

33 minutes in, Arsenal attempted their first shot. Both William Saliba and Kai Havertz missed headers from corners and didn’t manage to get a shot on target before half-time.

Arsenal found their first real scoring opportunity of the second half when Trossard received a purposedly lofted cross from a corner but shot it over the bar. Porto almost scored in the 66th minute when Pepe outpaced Havertz and passed the ball to Evanilson, but Declan Rice managed to block the shot.

Despite a promising start to the second half, the pace slowed down until Galeno’s phenomenal game-winning goal. The goal was a result of a poor decision from Arsenal’s young players, who lost the ball attempting a counter attack late in the game.

The Arsenal team performance was capped by a range of scores, with David Raya and Ben White each earning 6/10. William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior, Martin Odegaard, and Leandro Trossard all scored 5/10, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored even lower at 4/10. In contrast, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz scored 7/10 and 6/10, respectively.

Despite the loss, Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, still scored 6/10. Despite clear set-piece instructions, the team’s creativity was stunted, partly due to Porto’s strong defense. Injuries also limited his tactical options.