{"id":1366485,"date":"2024-10-22T22:20:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T21:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1366485"},"modified":"2024-10-22T22:28:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T21:28:37","slug":"arsenal-shakhtar-champions-league-24-25","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/arsenal-shakhtar-champions-league-24-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar: Gunners remain Champions League unbeaten after unconvincing win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arsenal<\/a> maintained their unbeaten Champions League start with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium this evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, though, would ponder why his team couldn’t score more from all their possession in the first half. However, winning is the most crucial aspect in the early stages of the competition, and they have achieved that.<\/p>\n

A goalless stalemate at Europa League holders Atalanta has since been followed up by a pair of home wins over Paris Saint-Germain and the Ukrainian champions.<\/p>\n

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The hosts broke through after Gabriel Martinelli cut in from the left and his low drive hit the post before ricocheting over the line via Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk, meaning Arsenal have now benefitted from six own goals in the Champions League, but this was the first since Marco Verratti with PSG in November 2016.<\/p>\n

However, the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story, as the Gunners were on top, registering 13 shots to Shakhtar’s three, but they finished the contest with a 1.97 xG (five efforts were on target, one hitting the woodwork and Leandro Trossard had a penalty saved), meaning their wasteful finishing let them down.<\/p>\n

Trossard’s misstep from 12 yards — when VAR intervened after Valeriy Bondar handled substitute Mikel Merino\u2019s cross in the area with 14 minutes to go — means the Gunners have missed four of their last eight penalties in the Champions League, having scored 11 of their previous 12 from the spot beforehand.<\/p>\n

Riznyk became the third player to both score an own goal and save a penalty in a UEFA Champions League match, the first since Benfica\u2019s Mile Svilar in October 2017 against Manchester United.<\/p>\n

\n

Clean sheet intact \u2705<\/p>\n

Another sensational Raya stop for the books ? pic.twitter.com\/TyUuv9uN9n<\/a><\/p>\n

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n