Sporting Lisbon defeated Arsenal in a penalty shootout to eliminate them from the Europa League at the last-16 stage.
After Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka had earlier pounced on a rebound for the opening goal, a spectacular long-range chip by Pedro Goncalves from 46 yards forced extra time.
Prior to Nuno Santos scoring the game-winning goal and ending the dramatic and fascinating match, Gabriel Martinelli’s penalty kick was saved by goalie Adan.
In the last seconds of extra time, Arsenal defender Gabriel twice had efforts cleared off the goal line and his headers narrowly missed the target.
Minutes before Sporting’s shootout victory, Manuel Ugarte of Sporting was also dismissed for a dangerous sliding tackle on Bukayo Saka.
Leandro Trossard, a substitute for Arsenal, had a chance to score during the frantic second leg when he was given the ball and raced through one-on-one with the goalie, but Adan saved it by touching it off the post.
A few minutes after Goncalves tied the score at 1 during regular time, Sporting striker Marcus Edwards, who had previously played for Tottenham, was also denied by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The Friday draw will determine the visitors’ quarterfinal opponents (11:00 GMT).
Reaction to the Europa League match on Thursday
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Arsenal’s rotation does not produce results.
Despite the fact that the final score was 2-2 on aggregate coming into the game, Mikel Arteta made five changes to the starting lineup for Arsenal in an effort to utilize every member of his team as the Premier League title battle heated up.
Gabriel Jesus, a striker who had been out with a knee injury since December, made a welcome comeback, but he was unable to score before being substituted at halftime.
Moreover, Arteta had an early setback when he had to make first-half substitutes due to the injuries sustained by defenders William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Despite Xhaka’s spectacular shot giving Arsenal a slim lead, Sporting started off well, dictating possession and creating plenty of opportunities.
After Goncalves’ incredible equalizer, they also had a rush of chances, with Paulinho sending a header over the bar and Edwards being stopped by Ramsdale.
At the opposite end, Trossard, Martinelli, and Gabriel all put England goalkeeper Ramsdale through his paces.
As Arsenal’s European tour comes to a conclusion, Arteta will be worried about how it might affect their Premier League campaign.
The 120 minutes of grueling play and injuries to their key defenders were not the best preparation for their upcoming league match against Crystal Palace in three days.
Ramsdale is distracted by a bizarre goal.
Ramsdale, the goalie for Arsenal, was right in the middle of things but ultimately had little influence on the outcome of the penalty shootout.
Ramsdale scrambled back to his goal in a hopeless attempt to stop Goncalves’ daring chip from just over the halfway line in normal time.
After the shock of the equalizer, Arsenal was trapped back for several minutes until Ramsdale came up with a brilliant save to stop Edwards as he raced through on goal.
As extra time began, it seemed likely that Ramsdale would be needed again in a shootout. Ramsdale nearly scored when he got a fingertip to Gonçalo Inacio’s penalty attempt, only to watch as it slid inside the post as a wry smile spread across his face.
Arsenal’s losing streak of six games in a row in all competitions comes to an end.
