Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon was not impressed by what he saw from Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli against Porto.
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli failed to shine when handed the chance to compete in a Champions League knockout round game for the first time in his career on Wednesday evening.
The Brazilian wide-man is one of the players that Mikel Arteta will have been expecting to pose a major threat to the Portuguese outfit. The hosts were always likely to take a fairly bullish and attacking approach to this game, and would look to get forward at any opportunity. With his searing pace and directness, the 22-year-old ought to have caused Porto problems on the counter-attack.
However, as it played out, Martinelli endured something of a Champions League nightmare at the Estadio do Dragao. The attacker was poor on the ball, rarely had the beating of his opposite number when it came to one-on-one situations, was weak in duels, and was wayward with his passing.
Gabriel Martinelli mistake costs Arsenal against Porto
That last point was the one that ultimately cost the Gunners particularly dearly on the night. With just seconds of added time remaining on the clock, Martinelli found himself with the ball at his feet. The sensible thing to do in that scenario, with the game all but over, would have been to keep things simple and play it safe.
Instead, the 9-cap Brazil international attempted an ambitious switch of play, seeking to pick out Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank. His pass was inaccurate, the ball was cut out, and soon came to Galeno. With almost the last kick of the game, the Porto forward was able to find the back of the net from range and secure a dramatic 1-0 win for the hosts.
David Raya took the heat from Arsenal fans for the goal, but in truth, much of the responsibility rests on Martinelli’s shoulders.
Neil Lennon felt that this moment highlighted the player’s inexperience at this level. As quoted by BBC Sport, the former midfielder said, “with less than a minute to go you have to be smarter than that, keep hold of the ball. Instead of keeping the ball Gabriel Martinelli tries to smash a long diagonal to Bukayo Saka and which left Arsenal a bit open.”
Martinelli is a good enough player to make amends for this error. He will be determined to produce a much improved performance in the second-leg of this tie, due to be contested at the Emirates Stadium on March 12th. Martinelli is not alone in needing to up his game for that fixture, as more will also be expected of Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz, amongst others.
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