Gabriel Jesus was delighted for his teammate Gabriel Martinelli on Tuesday night, after the winger opened the scoring for Arsenal against Athletic Club.
Racing on to a ball fed through by Leandro Trossard, Martinelli took three excellent touches before slotting past Unai Simon to give the Gunners the lead 19 minutes from time.
The Brazilian became the fastest goalscorer off the bench for an English team in Champions League history, finding the back of the net 36 seconds after replacing Eberechi Eze.
Arsenal eventually ran out 2-0 winners, with Trossard adding a late second, meaning Mikel Arteta’s side commence their European campaign for the season with an excellent away win.
Gabriel Jesus reacts to Gabriel Martinelli’s goal vs Athletic Club
Martinelli has struggled at the start of this season.
The 24-year-old has received criticism for some of his performances, as he’s failed to produce the electric form he showed for the Gunners in previous seasons.
However, the former Ituano man delivered when it mattered on Tuesday night in Bilbao, showing exceptional pace and composure to run away from the Athletic Club backline and finish to score the night’s opening goal.
This strike seemed to reignite Martinelli’s confidence, as he later produced an excellent run and cut-back for Trossard’s goal.
Evidently a popular goalscorer, the wide forward’s compatriot, Gabriel Jesus, took to social media to congratulate the match winner.
Writing on Instagram, Jesus wrote: “Good brother, you deserve it so much.”
Jesus is currently recovering from an ACL injury and will hope to be back on the pitch soon to reunite with Martinelli; the two players had a frightening partnership a few years ago for the Gunners.
Arteta will love seeing the camaraderie between his squad members, regardless of how involved they are.
Gabriel Martinelli should be used as a striker
Martinelli’s goal perfectly encapsulates what his greatest strengths are.
A dynamic runner who is effective at making darts beyond the backline, he times his runs well and is generally composed when through on goal.
His pace causes opposition defenders issues, and Arsenal simply haven’t utilised these skills efficiently in the last year or so.
Arteta simply has to try using Martinelli in a more central role, rather than tasking him with being stuck out wide and on the touchline.
Not an effective dribbler, the Brazil international could be used as a striker while Kai Havertz is out injured.
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