With João Pereira, a former Valencia player, who was making his debut in the Champions League on the Sporting bench, Arsenal went all out from the beginning with a suffocating pressure that gave no exit options for the local defense.
The Gunners’ dominance was rewarded with a goal in the 7th minute, when Gabriel Martinelli took advantage of Timber’s low cross from the right wing.
The setback woke up the green and white, who began to have more of the ball and, with the help of the Uruguayan Maxi Araújo, they managed to get closer to the goal defended by the Spanish David Raya.
Once again, Arsenal managed to extend their advantage with a play from the right flank, where Bukayo Saka came down the wing and put it to Kai Havertz to score the second.
While Arteta’s men managed the result, Sporting tried to get the ball to their scorer, the Swede Viktor Gyökeres, but it was the 17-year-old Geovany Quenda who forced Raya to work hard in the first half.
Just before the break, London’s third goal arrived, the work of Gabriel Magalhães, who headed home a corner kick at will.
After a weak first 45 minutes, Sporting started the second half in the best possible way, with a goal from Gonçalo Inácio, who finished with his left foot after a corner kick taken by former Barça player Trincão.
In the capital of Portugal there was belief in the comeback both in the stands and on the field, but just when the ‘lions’ had found their best form, Odegaard was brought down in the area and Saka, from the penalty spot, made no mistake.
With the game decided, Belgian Trossard took advantage of a rebound from Mikel Merino’s shot and scored Arsenal’s fifth.
The three points thus go to north London, while Sporting suffers its first defeat in ‘Champions’ at the beginning of a new cycle with a new coach, former Valencia player João Pereira, who replaced Ruben Amorim, now in Manchester United.
– Technical Sheet:
1 – Sporting de Portugal: Franco Israel; St. Juste, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio (Matheus Reis, min.88); Geovany Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita (Harder, min.78), Maxi Araújo (Geny Catamo, min.68); Trincão (João Simões, min.88), Edwards (Bragança, min.68) and Viktor Gyökeres.
5 – Arsenal: David Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães (Kiwior, min.84), Calafiori (Zinchenko, min.78); Partey, Declan Rice (Mikel Merino, min.70), Martin Odegaard (Nwaneri, min.78); Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Martinelli (Trossard, min.70).
Goles: 0-1: Martinelli, m.7; 0-2: Havertz, min.22; 0-3: Magalhães, min.45+1; 1-3: Inácio, min.47; 1-4: Saka, min.65; 1-5: Trossard, min.82-
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL). He showed the yellow card to Diomande from Sporting and Raya from Arsenal.
Incidents: League phase match of the Champions League played at the Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon before 47,386 spectators. EFE
