Arsenal repeated one unwelcome 2011 Champions League feat against Porto

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Arsenal did not manage a single shot on target when they played Porto on Wednesday evening.

Arsenal were far from their best as they lost 1-0 against Porto in a Champions League clash.

The Gunners looked likely to escape the Estadio do Dragao with a goalless draw under their belts, but were punished for their own profligacy in the 94th minute when Brazilian attacker Galeno’s long-range strike found the back of the net.

Mikel Arteta would likely have been satisfied with a 0-0 draw in this first-leg. Certainly, the Gunners played as if that was an acceptable result. Arteta’s substitutions also indicated that he was unwilling to take too many risks in search of a goal.

Arsenal barely carried any attacking threat throughout the match. In fact, given that the north London club have been in such prolific form of late, netting 14 times over the course of their last three Premier League outings, it was a surprise to see them looking so toothless in Portugal.

One stat highlights just how ineffective Arsenal were in the final third. As reported by Opta, this was just the second time on record that Arsenal failed to record a single shot on target during a Champions League match, with the first instance coming in 2011 against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Arsenal must show attacking improvement in second-leg v Porto

This is not a feat that Arsenal will be glad to have repeated. However, on this occasion, the Gunners still ought to be confident in their ability to turn this round of 16 tie around. They will welcome Porto to the Emirates Stadium on March 12th, and if they are at their best, then Arsenal still ought to be able to find a way to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Considering Arsenal have been told that they have the capacity to go all the way in the Champions League this season, it would be a colossal disappointment if they were to fail to progress beyond this first knockout round. 

In order to stand any chance of undoing the damage done in Portugal, though, Arsenal must take a far more attacking approach when the two sides meet again in north London. They will need to test Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa regularly, which they of course failed to do at all on Wednesday evening. Arsenal’s talismanic attackers, including Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, need to step up to the plate at the second time of asking.