Havertz found the back of the net in added time as Sporting drew blank against Arsenal, going down by a single-goal margin of 0-1 in the Champions League quarter-finals match, Yankee Scores reports.
Havertz’ Heroics
The Chelsea midfielder beat goalkeeper Rui Silva in a one-on-one situation after coming off the bench, securing his club an important away goal prior to the return leg in London next week.
Arsenal went into the contest facing criticism following two successive losses, marking the first occasion this season that the club suffered a two-game losing streak.
The team almost suffered another setback in the early exchanges after Sporting left back Maxi Araujo hit the crossbar from a perfect through ball by Ousmane Diomande.
Match report
Arsenal took complete control of the game during the first half, but they lacked creativity upfront. The best chance for Arsenal came via Noni Madueke, who missed by hitting the crossbar from a corner kick.
Sporting still posed danger to Arsenal on several occasions, including a late attempt where Araujo provided an assist to Francisco Trincao, only for the latter’s shot to miss the target.
Zubimendi appeared to have scored the opener for Arsenal in the second half with a wonderful curler from outside the box, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside position taken by former Sporting attacker Viktor Gyokeres.
David Raya saved three good shots from Sporting in the dying moments of the game before Havertz settled matters in favor of Arsenal.
Next Up
It is Arsenal’s first victory in three games and a timely boost for Mikel Arteta’s side before heading to the upcoming Premier League encounter against Bournemouth.
