One ‘wonderful’ thing Arsenal star did against Porto hailed as ‘absolute genius’

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Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist was wowed by something that one Arsenal player did in the first half v Porto on Tuesday evening.

Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard unlocked the Porto defence late on in the first half at the Emirates Stadium.

For forty minutes, the visitors put up a stubborn resistance. As was expected, Porto sought to frustrate Arsenal at every turn. The Portuguese took their time over every single set piece and tried to drag out each break in play. 

However, in the 41st minute, Mikel Arteta’s side found a way through. Odegaard picked up the ball just outside the area, and managed to find a yard of space, despite the close attention of Porto full-back Joao Mario. The Norwegian playmaker then spotted the run of Leandro Trossard, and nudged a delicate ball between two defenders and into the onrushing Belgian’s path. 

From an angle, Trossard was then able to pick out the bottom corner and level up the tie on aggregate.

The goal came at a vital time for the north London club. Prior to kick off, Arteta had called upon the Arsenal fans to generate a special atmosphere, but just before the goal it was possible to detect a growing sense of anxiety amongst the home support. Trossard’s strike re-energised the supporters, and will certainly have changed the tone of the Spanish coach’s half-time team talk.

Ally McCoist wowed by Martin Odegaard moment of magic for Arsenal v Porto

Whilst Trossard deserves great credit for his cool finish, it was a moment of creative brilliance from Odegaard which made the goal possible in the first place. The 25-year-old has been in scintillating form recently, and once again showed his class here. The precision and weight of his pass was judged perfectly to give Trossard the most advantageous opportunity possible.

Ally McCoist was blown away by what he saw from the former Real Madrid man. Commentating on TNT Sports (12/03/2024, 20:40), he said, “it’s absolute genius…he knocks Joao Mario off-balance, and Trossard does the rest.”

“The overall play from Odegaard…he plays an absolutely wonderful ten-yard pass. What a goal.”

“He knows deep down that he wants Trossard to make the run.”

Of course, this goal did not get the job done for the Gunners, but it restored parity in this Champions League tie. It will also have given the players’ confidence a huge boost, as they had largely been successfully held at arms length by Porto up until that point.