Gunners Secure Last 16 Spot as Group B Winners in Historic Fashion at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal etched their name in Champions League history by breaking multiple records during a resounding 6-0 triumph over Lens at the Emirates Stadium, securing their place in the last 16 as Group B winners. The Gunners entered the penultimate group fixture needing only a point to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Facing the potential threat posed by Lens, who defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the reverse fixture last month, Mikel Arteta’s side displayed a dominant performance on home soil. By the half-hour mark, they were already four goals ahead, courtesy of strikes from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli.
Notably, Arsenal’s four-goal lead within the first 27 minutes matched the joint-fastest an English club has ever scored four goals in a Champions League fixture. This feat was previously achieved by Manchester United against Brondby in November 1998 on their way to winning the competition.
The momentum continued as Martin Odegaard smashed home a first-time volley from 12 yards, adding a fifth for Arsenal on the stroke of half-time. This accomplishment made Arsenal the first English club in Champions League history to lead a game by five or more goals at the interval. Additionally, they became the first club from any European nation to have five different scorers (excluding own goals) in the first half of a Champions League match.
The second half saw Arsenal’s dominance persist, culminating in substitute Jorginho calmly slotting home a penalty kick in the 86th minute after VAR deemed an infringement by Abdukodir Khusanov inside the area.
Arsenal’s thumping 6-0 win marked the biggest victory by any English club against a French opponent in European competition. While they fell short of equaling their largest-ever Champions League win of 7-0 against Slavia Prague in October 2007, the historic performance left manager Mikel Arteta delighted.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Arteta expressed his satisfaction, saying, “Today was the day to get it done. We did it in a beautiful way. We scored five goals against a really good side [in the first half]. You can become really sloppy. And there were parts of the second half with different behaviors, but we stayed really focused.”
Arteta, looking ahead to the upcoming challenge against Wolves in the Premier League, added, “It’s great because the schedule we have at the moment is crazy. We’re already thinking about Wolves in 72 hours. We have to demand more from each other. We’ll have to be well prepared for Wolves.” Arsenal aims to extend their winning streak in all competitions and maintain their position at the top of the Premier League when they face Wolves at the Emirates on Saturday.
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