{"id":1443480,"date":"2026-04-15T23:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1443480"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:17:11","slug":"post-match-analysis-arsenal-vs-sporting-15-04-26","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-arsenal-vs-sporting-15-04-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal vs Sporting CP analysis: How Mikel Arteta managed narrow lead to send Gunners to Champions League semi finals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Arsenal left Sporting CP behind and booked a spot in the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate win.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn&#8217;t pretty or fun, but it got the job done. The Gunners have made the final four in back-to-back UCL campaigns for the first time ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Arsenal have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in back-to-back seasons for the first time in their history. <br><br>This time, they will be hoping to go one step further and reach the final&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fWSLDPubHy\">pic.twitter.com\/fWSLDPubHy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Squawka (@Squawka) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Squawka\/status\/2044519527216513134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 15, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1-0 win from the first leg did all of the work, with the reverse fixture ending in a goalless draw. While they couldn&#8217;t create much danger at the Emirates, neither could the Portuguese side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By no means did Mikel Arteta give up on the game and defend for 90 minutes. In fact, his men dominated possession in the attacking half in the first 45 and pressed high up the pitch and countered in the final 45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>What were the main tactical talking points in Arsenal 0-0 Sporting?<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-near-perfect-defensive-performance\" data-level=\"3\">Near-perfect defensive performance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-space-for-eze\" data-level=\"3\">Space for Eze<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-high-turnovers\" data-level=\"3\">High turnovers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-near-perfect-defensive-performance\">Near-perfect defensive performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would have been a perfect defensive display had David Raya and especially William Saliba not given away decent opportunities completely unforced. Arsenal, who so rarely shoot themselves in the foot, looked uncharacteristically shaky tonight in-possession near their own goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elsewhere, they managed to limit Sporting in areas they were threatening in the first leg. Manager Rui Borges tried to lean on his right side again to start the match, but didn&#8217;t have the switch of play to left-back Maxi Araujo available as he had in Lisbon. Cristhian Mosquera was mostly solid down that side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He inverted things in the second half looking for the opposite dynamic, but Piero Hincapie had a great display and kept Geny Catamo quiet. Geovany Quenda replaced him but played even more poorly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-1024x640.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1443484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-2048x1280.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-400x250.jpg 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-320x200.jpg 320w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-96x60.jpg 96w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15221400\/player_-vis-and-4-stat-comparison-3-150x94.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, the Lions created just 0.31 Expected Goals, the lowest of any Arsenal opponent in their current Champions League campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their closets chance was a Catamo shot that grazed the bar worth just 0.03 xG in the end of the first half. And the best opportunity, based on the same metric, was a right-footed effort by left-back Araujo just after the break (0.06 xG).<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>BOYLE Sports offer: Bet \u00a310 Get \u00a340 in free bets<\/h2>\r\n<p>Not signed up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/boylesports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BOYLE Sports<\/a> yet? 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Min Deposit \u00a310. Min stake \u00a310. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out\/Free Bets won\u2019t apply. Account &amp; Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household &amp; IP Address only. T&amp;Cs Apply<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the only team to attempt fewer shots against the Gunners in the UCL this season was Kairat (four in the league phase).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-space-for-eze\">Space for Eze<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Squawka mentioned last week, Arsenal missed Eberechi Eze dearly in the first leg. This time, however, they had him available and he delivered, given what the team created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-sporting-vs-arsenal-07-04-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sporting CP vs Arsenal stats and analysis: How second-half substitutes saved Gunners in Lisbon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Granted, Sporting&#8217;s defensive system favoured Eze&#8217;s play at the Emirates. They pressed man-to-man but this time without a -1 disadvantage, like in the reverse fixture. Arteta cleverly set his build-ups in a 4+2 (or 2+4, regardless) while Borges countered with his six front-men of his 4-4-2 out of possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It meant that holding midfielders Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita matched up against Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi. This left Eze with acres of space between the lines with centre-backs Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio hesitant to chase him and dismantle their defensive shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1443492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15222820\/player_-pitch-5-stats.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This specific dilemma actually made more sense for the striker to be Kai Havertz than Viktor Gyokeres, just by their natures. It didn&#8217;t help how poor the Swede looked tonight. While in the first leg he fell victim of Arsenal&#8217;s lack of creativity, tonight he put in a bad performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The No.14 was actually a big reason why most of the danger Eze tried to generate didn&#8217;t turn into anything concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eze played well both in his own usual way, but also doing a few of the things that Martin Odegaard usually does. Dropping deep to help in build-up and initiate plays and also distributing the ball further up the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/smarkets-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SBK betting offer<\/a>: Bet \u00a310, get \u00a340 in free bets<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Eligible readers* interested in this SBK betting offer can follow <strong><a href=\"\/en\/go\/smarkets?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">THIS LINK<\/a> <\/strong>or click the image below.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/smarkets?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1422500\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145.png 625w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-208x267.png 208w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-156x200.png 156w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-47x60.png 47w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-117x150.png 117w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-31x40.png 31w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">New UK customers only. 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A further \u00a310 Free Bet token will be credited 48 hours after the qualifying bet has been settled.\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/help.getsbk.com\/hc\/en-gb\/articles\/21601526176669-UK-Welcome-bonus-Bet-10-get-40-in-Free-Bets-T-C-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/help.getsbk.com\/hc\/en-gb\/articles\/21601526176669-UK-Welcome-bonus-Bet-10-get-40-in-Free-Bets-T-C-s\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Full T&amp;Cs<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">\u00a0apply, 18+.\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"http:\/\/gambleaware.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/GambleAware.org\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">GambleAware.org<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">.<\/i><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His right-sided combinations with Noni Madueke gave the Gunners a lot of energy to start the game, but faded as the match went on. And though Madueke did get the best of Araujo a few times tonight, it wasn&#8217;t in the same rate from the first leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-high-turnovers\">High turnovers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially early on, Arsenal had a lot of success recovering possessions near Sporting&#8217;s goal. In fact, the very first play of the game was a high turnover that the Gunners forced just 10 seconds in. Before the clock completed a full 60-second turn, they even got another one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Lions&#8217; struggles to play out from the back with short passes were clear in the first leg, but reached a whole new level this Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"663\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-663x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1443496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-663x1024.png 663w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-194x300.png 194w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-768x1186.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-995x1536.png 995w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-1326x2048.png 1326w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-173x267.png 173w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-130x200.png 130w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-39x60.png 39w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL-97x150.png 97w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/04\/15224519\/defensive_permeability_Arsenal0-0SportingCP_Arsenal_25_26_UCL.png 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Arsenal&#8217;s defensive solidity map by zone vs. Sporting CP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of Arsenal&#8217;s top-four tallies of high turnovers in a single UCL game this campaign have been the first (14) and second (17) legs against Sporting. They recorded 21 vs Kairat and 16 vs Atletico Madrid of all teams, their semi-final opponents coming up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sporting defenders and midfielders gave Eze a run for his money in terms of creating opportunities for Arsenal. They had a lot of work done for them, sometimes with no effort whatsoever. But the Gunners&#8217; pressing was so effective that it remained their best chance of defending until the very end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s why we saw them push their lines high up the pitch and take six or more players to trap the Lions inside their own third during goal kicks in stoppage time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, a semi-final between Arsenal and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid awaits. Ironically, Mikel Arteta has been far more of a risk-averse and conservative manager than Diego Simeone this season &#8211; though the Argentine could cook up something special from his old playbook for this tie. Should be fun.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/champions-league-tips\/\"><strong>Champions League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/champions-league-outright-odds-qualification\/\"><strong>Champions League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal left Sporting CP behind and booked a spot in the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate win. It wasn&#8217;t pretty or fun, but it got the job done. The Gunners have made the final four in back-to-back UCL campaigns for the first time ever. The 1-0 win from the first leg did all&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":1443499,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Arsenal left Sporting CP behind and booked a spot in the Champions League semi finals with a 1-0 aggregate lead. 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