Girona vs Arsenal. UEFA Champions League.
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Girona 1-2 Arsenal: Ethan Nwaneri scores on first Champions League start as Gunners seal last-16 spot
Match report as Arsenal confirmed their top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League; a 2-1 win in Girona confirmed the Gunners' spot in the last 16; Arnaut Danjuma opened scoring for Spanish side after Neto error; Jorginho scored penalty and Ethan Nwaneri netted winner
Thursday 30 January 2025 07:42, UK
Ethan Nwaneri scored on his first Champions League start as Arsenal sealed their place in the last 16 with a 2-1 win at Girona.
The 17-year-old winger became the second-youngest English goalscorer in the competition after Jude Bellingham when he curled home what turned out to be the winner late in the first half as the Gunners came from a goal down to secure victory in Spain.
Arsenal will face Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan or PSV in the last 16.
Arteta: Belief building at Arsenal
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta insists his side's confidence is growing after an extremely positive league phase campaign.
"Really good at the moment," he said. "Things are going well.
"We won the last four games in the Champions League but winning in this competition is very demanding but overall the team has been very consistent, regardless of all the issues they have had to face.
"Hopefully more belief in that dressing room that we are a good team and can face anyone and still perform and win games."
Gunners bypass play-off round
With qualification all but secured before kick-off, Arteta named a much-changed side, handing goalkeeper Neto his Arsenal debut with David Raya "not fit" to play in the Gunners' final league-phase game.
It was not the best of starts for the Brazilian, who is on loan from Bournemouth, with the 35-year-old badly at fault for allowing former Tottenham forward Arnaut Danjuma to give the home side the lead after 28 minutes.
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However, Girona, who had already been eliminated on their maiden Champions League campaign, squandered their lead soon after, with Jorginho levelling from the spot after Thomas Partey was fouled inside the penalty area.
The Gunners were in front three minutes before half-time when Nwaneri cut in from the right to score his sixth Arsenal goal to secure all three points.
There could have been a fairy-tale sign-off from the Champions League for Girona, Cristhian Stuani sliding in at the far post to put the ball in the net on his 273rd club appearance, only for VAR to intervene for offside in the build-up.
The Gunners then had the chance to round off the win when Alejandro Frances handled the ball to give Arsenal a stoppage-time penalty, but Raheem Sterling failed to find the corner of the net as Pau Lopez dived low to save.
It was not to matter though as Arteta's side ensured they bypass February's play-off round to go straight to the last 16.
Arteta quizzed on Watkins bid
Arsenal's win came on the day news of a rejected bid for Ollie Watkins came to light.
It is expected the Gunners will return with an improved offer, but Villa's position is that Watkins is not for sale, which makes it unlikely a deal will be done in this window.
Arteta was asked about Watkins after the game but the Gunners boss refused to comment on the England forward.
- Aston Villa reject Arsenal's bid for Watkins
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"I can't talk about any of that," Arteta said.
"My confidence is that we have an amazing club with people always working to try and improve.
"Let's see what happens."
Nwaneri's rise continues
Analysis from Sky Sports' Oliver Yew:
Arsenal's rejected bid for Ollie Watkins is taking plenty of headlines but Nwaneri once again showed why Gunners fans are so excited about the 17-year-old's rise.
He put in another assured performance against Girona with his stunning left-footed strike eventually sealing victory for the north London side.
"That's what we love about him, you know, that he's willing to take the initiative to make things happen," a delighted Arteta said after the game.
This boy is a superstar in the making. He's top draw this kid.
"He's very aggressive when he's on the ball and so confident. Before that he had another action, a very similar one. He made the right choice, he went for it. He's a player that has the capacity to finish from every angle, basically, and it was a very important goal."
The focus this month has been about attacking reinforcements at the Emirates Stadium with injuries testing Arsenal's squad depth.
But Nwaneri, who himself missed a couple of weeks of action, has shown he is more than capable of filling in for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right. His return to the fold could prove just as crucial as any addition in the transfer window this month.
When are the CL knockout draws?
To determine who plays who in the knockout rounds, there will be two draws after the league phase.
The first draw on Friday January 31 at 11am will determine which of the two options each team will get in the knockout play-off. For example, a team finishing 13th will find out whether they are playing against the team finishing 19th or 20th.
Seeded teams (9th-16th) will have the second leg at home and those play-off round matches take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.
Teams seeded from 1st to 8th will have to wait until Friday February 21 to find out their opponents.
That draw will then determine who they face in the round of 16, and ultimately map out their full path to the final.
When are the 2024/25 Champions League knockout fixtures?
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
- Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
Story of the match in stats!
Opta stats: Arsenal reach knockout stages again!
Arsenal have progressed from the group stage/league phase in each of their last 16 seasons in the UEFA Champions League, last failing to reach the knockout rounds (when appearing in the competition) in 2002/03.
Ethan Nwaneri (17 years 314 days) became the second youngest Englishman to score a UEFA Champions League goal after Jude Bellingham (17 years 289 days - Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City in April 2021).
Neto became the fourth different goalkeeper to appear for Arsenal this season (also Raya, Setford & Porter), the first time the Gunners have used as many 'keepers in a single season since 2020/21 (Leno, Martínez, Rúnarsson & Ryan).
