Thierry Henry feels Gabriel Martinelli put Arsenal ‘in trouble’ and has also criticised David Raya for his role in Galeno’s stoppage-time strike to secure FC Porto a 1-0 win.
The Dragoes hit home in the 94th minute to steal a slender advantage in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday night. Galeno finessed the ball past Raya in the last seconds with a superb shot. The Brazilian curled it home from the edge of Arsenal’s box.
But Porto’s chance to head to Emirates Stadium leading Mikel Arteta’s side 1-0 on aggregate only came from Martinelli’s mistake. The 22-year-old cheaply turned the ball over when the north London giants had the chance to catch the Dragoes on the counter in the final minute.
Martinelli gifted Porto possession for Galeno’s goal against Arsenal
Martinelli gained possession on the edge of Arsenal’s area and sought to switch the play out to Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz. The Gunners had an overload against two Porto defenders on the right wing. But Martinelli’s driven switch was too high for Odegaard.
Otavio easily collected Martinelli’s pass before feeding it to Galeno, who Arsenal also failed to put under pressure. Declan Rice stood off the winger, who used the time to see Raya had left the far side of the Gunners’ goal open and sent a precise shot out of the keeper’s reach.
Raya’s position and Rice’s hesitancy to close Galeno down after Martinelli wasted Arsenal’s chance to hit Porto on the break annoyed Henry. The Arsenal legend feels Martinelli should have done more with his chance to set up an overload on the right wing in the final minute.
Martinelli and Raya annoyed Henry in the Champions League last 16
Martinelli failing to find one of three teammates then put Arsenal in a difficult place, before Raya also presented Galeno with a chance to score Porto’s winning goal. Henry believes the 28-year-old could have done more to prevent the Dragoes taking the aggregate advantage.
“You lose that ball, one minute to go, this is where away from home in Europe you have to be a bit more clear on what you do,” Henry told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (21/02, 21:55). “That’s a cheap lost ball on the counter-attack.
“I am not a goalkeeper but he is missing the one step to be able to control his feet. He jumped too early. We were only good at set pieces. It’s one thing to play West Ham, it’s one thing to play Burnley and then it’s one thing to play away in the Champions League.
“If you want to play in the Champions League, you have to create more chances. We didn’t create enough and, as it happened, those guys were better than us on the day. We still have a return leg. But I told you last week it was going to be difficult away at Porto, and it was!
“Look at this, it could have been a 3v2 [if Martinelli found a teammate]. You miss a pass and the next thing you know, you backpedal. If you backpedal against people that can curve [the ball], then you are in trouble. If it’s a better pass, then they are in trouble.”
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