Arsenal Sporting win Arteta admission as Mikel Arteta says he feared no goal before late Havertz strike secured Champions League victory

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he briefly feared his side would fail to find the breakthrough before Kai Havertz’s late goal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Sporting CP in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

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The Arsenal Sporting win Arteta admission followed a tense encounter in which the Gunners struggled to convert possession into clear chances, relying at times on goalkeeper David Raya, who delivered a series of crucial saves to preserve parity.

Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock in the 91st minute through Kai Havertz, whose decisive finish handed the Premier League side a slender advantage heading into the return leg.

The moment proved pivotal in a match where attacking fluency was limited and opportunities were scarce.

Sporting CP also threatened during the contest, with Martin Zubimendi seeing a goal ruled out for offside, further underlining the fine margins that defined the tightly contested fixture.

Reflecting on the performance, Mikel Arteta acknowledged that his team lacked sharpness in the final third and admitted uncertainty over whether a goal would come before the late intervention.

He noted that Arsenal needed to be more efficient and quicker in their attacking play to break down Sporting’s defensive structure, adding that several promising situations failed to materialise into decisive chances.

Despite those concerns, the Arsenal manager described the late winner as a “magic moment” that ultimately settled the tie in his side’s favour, highlighting the importance of individual quality in tightly balanced matches.

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The result leaves Arsenal in a favourable position ahead of the second leg, although Mikel Arteta is expected to demand greater attacking precision as the team prepares for a decisive return fixture.