Riccardo Calafiori and every other Arsenal player loved Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Athletic Club in the Champions League.
The Gunners went to San Mames for what was always going to be a difficult game, and Ernesto Valverde’s side made the North Londoners work very hard.
The players who started the game couldn’t break the deadlock, so Mikel Arteta turned to his bench and brought on Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
The two attackers, who have been heavily criticised over the last year, won the game for Arsenal.
What Riccardo Calafiori did right after Gabriel Martinelli’s goal vs Athletic Club
Martinelli took just 36 seconds to win the game for Arsenal at San Mames.
The Brazil international came on for Eberechi Eze in the 71st minute of the game, and he scored a lovely goal soon after.
Martinelli ran towards the away fans to celebrate, and all of his teammates ran over to embrace him.
Riccardo Calafiori was one of the first to do so, and after giving Martinelli a hug, he began to repeatedly point towards the back of the Brazilian’s shirt while looking at the Arsenal supporters in the away end.
The defender, like everyone else in the squad, will have been aware of all the criticism directed at Martinelli over the last year.
The way Calafiori pointed at the attacker’s shirt right in front of the Arsenal fans appears to be a message to them – everyone at the club is behind Martinelli.
That says a lot about the team spirit within the club, and Arteta deserves a lot of credit for building that up over the years.
READ MORE: Bruno Guimaraes reacts with just one word after seeing Gabriel Martinelli fire Arsenal to victory
Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal players rallying around Gabriel Martinelli
The relationship between every player at Arsenal is incredible.
It’s clear that the players love working with each other, and everyone has the support of the whole squad, irrespective of how they are performing.
Martinelli felt that after he scored against Athletic Club on Tuesday, and Arteta absolutely loved the team spirit.
Reacting to the players rallying around Martinelli, he said in his post-match press conference: “That’s the spirit, that’s why I really enjoy every single day working with them and being part of this team, because the way they look after each other is genuine, and they really want the best for each other.
“They recognise someone that works every single day in a manner that Gabi does, and you can go through struggles or moments and recognising that and having that capacity to connect with him, I think it would mean a lot to him.”
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