Mikel Arteta Disappointed with Lack of Aggression as Arsenal Suffer Champions League Defeat. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his disappointment with his team’s lack of aggression in their Champions League defeat against Porto. However, he believes it would be unfair to judge their return to the knockout stages solely based on the last-minute goal that decided the match.

The Gunners’ chances of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years took a Һit as Porto secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the last 16 tie, courtesy of a fine late strike from Galeno. With the second leg scheduled at the Emirates Stadium on March 12, Arteta understands that his side must secure a win on home soil to progress further in the Champions League, marking their long-awaited return to this stage.

Arsenal is well aware that there are no easy games at this level of Europe’s elite club competition, having been eliminated at this stage seven years in a row under former manager Arsene Wenger.

This is their first time back in the knockout phases since 2017, and the challenge proved to be much tougher than their recent dominant performances in the Premier League against West Ham and Burnley. The team, relatively inexperienced in such high-pressure matches, had only Kai Havertz from the starting XI with previous appearances in the Champions League knockout stages.

The visitors failed to register a shot on target on a difficult night at Estadio do Dragao, with Porto proving to be a formidable opponent. They frustrated Arsenal for a significant portion of the game and capitalized on defensive lapses to secure a late victory.

“Obviously, I am very disappointed with the way we gave the game away at the end,” Arteta expressed. “We didn’t manage that situation well enough. In the Champions League, you get punished. If you can’t win it, you shouldn’t lose it.”

“We dominated the game, but we lacked purpose, especially in the first half. We needed more aggression, to break lines, play forward, and pose a greater threаt to their backline,” he added.

Arteta acknowledged that there are lessons to be learned from the defeat, emphasizing that it is only halftime in the tie. He stressed the importance of beating their opponents if they want to progress to the quarter-finals.

When asked about his team’s perceived naivety in succumbing to defeat in such a manner, Arteta defended his players, stating, “It’s only the last ball, so if in 94 minutes they haven’t shown any naivety except for that one, I think it’s a bit cruel to judge them. However, it’s true that it had a significant impact on the result. We cannot afford to give the ball away three times in that area.”

Arteta also criticized the performance of referee Serdar Gozubuyuk, who awarded 36 fouls during the match, the highest in a Champions League game this season. The referee frequently engaged with players in the box before set-pieces.

“Even from set-pieces, every time we touched somebody, it seemed to be a foul even before we kicked the ball. But we will learn from it and do better,” Arteta concluded.

Porto, led by 40-year-old captain Pepe, appeared more experienced and streetwise in dealing with the challenges at hand. Head coach Sergio Conceicao expressed his satisfaction with the result, stating that his team understood how to exploit spaces and create problems for their opponents.

“It was a good game, a Champions League game. Our opponents had more possession, but Porto was always more dangerous,” Conceicao remarked.