A stunning effort from Ethan Nwaneri saw Arsenal come from behind in the first half in Catalunya to secure third in the UEFA Champions League group phase.
Seventeen year-old Nwaneri gave Arsenal the lead late on in the first-half, picking up the ball on the edge of the penalty area and struck a pin-point accurate finish into the far corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. The goal was strongly reminiscent of his goal away at Preston North End and the youngster’s ability to strike outside the box can be a useful tool for Arsenal going forwards.
Mikel Arteta opted for rotation for his team lineup with the game versus Manchester City the biggest game of the week. Neto made his Arsenal debut in goal, Jakub Kiwior, Riccardo Calafiori and Thomas Partey joined Gabriel in the Gunners back four. Martin Odegaard returned to the XI alongside Jorginho and Mikel Merino, and Raheem Sterling started in attack with Leandro Trossard through the middle and Nwaneri on the right-wing.
Calafiori, who scored Arsenal’s winner at Wolves in their last encounter, thought he scored again for Arsenal in the early stages as he finished well in the box, however the goal was ruled out for offside. And despite a strong start from Arsenal, the already -eliminated home side took the lead midway through the first half. Ex-Tottenham loanee Arnault Danjuma got sent through in-behind the Arsenal defence and with Neto a long-way off his line, the Dutch forward had no trouble lifting his strike over the Brazilian stopper and in to give Girona the lead with their first chance.
However, Mikel Arteta’s team was given a chance to get back in the game when Partey was brought down in the Girona box, and Jorginho stepped up with his signature technique and made no mistake as he sent his penalty past the keeper to equalise. The goal was followed just minutes later by Nwaneri’s fine effort to make sure Arsenal went into the break with the goal advantage.
Halfway through the second period Girona’s all-time top scorer Christian Stuani thought he had equalised, tapping in a low cross from winger Portu, although the winger was deemed offside following a VAR check. The majority of the half saw little genuine chances, however Arsenal were awarded a chance to score their third of the evening in the final minutes with their second penalty of the game. Odegaard handed the ball to Raheem Sterling to score his second goal since arriving on loan, however the English forward saw his kick saved low by Girona’s goalkeeper as the score remained 1-2 until the final whistle.
The win secured third in the table for Arsenal, with one of either Juventus, AC Milan, Feyenoord or PSV awaiting Arsenal in the upcoming round-of-16 of the competition.
Player Ratings:
Neto: 5
Thomas Partey: 6
Gabriel: 6
Jakub Kiwior: 6
Riccardo Calafiori: 7
Jorginho: 7
Martin Odegaard: 7
Mikel Merino: 6
Ethan Nwaneri: 8
Leandro Trossard: 6
Raheem Sterling: 5