Saka inspires Arsenal to beat Monaco and increase the automatic qualification hopes | Champions League

Usually it would be over, the group of the Champions League group stage and pollinated and there are still two ties for arsenal. A test of their physicality, the depth of their reserves and their determination. The idea is to play the additional games in January and ensure that you don’t have to play two more in the Playoff round in February. Zooming directly into the round of 16. It still looks pretty good.

This was the hardest tie that Arsenal had left in the extended group phase and Mikel Areteta wanted to count it. His team did exactly that. Bukayo Saka brought the top, his opening goal supported and was supported by Myles Lewis-Skelly and assured a full debut in this diluted level. When Saka scored his second, it was to kill Monaco’s revitalization, which is probably not allowed to be possible.

Arsenal’s Probligacy guilt with Gabriel Jesus, the main culprit. In the end, nobody flocked when Kai Havertz pressed home as a replacement as a replacement of a Saka assistant. Arsenal was frustrated in the Premier League in Fulham on Sunday. They continued to roll here. Areta was without five defenders by injury and his big step was to play Lewis Skelly on the left-back.

There is a boast about the 18-year-old, a self-confidence, and he helped, Monaco apart. It was striking that Arteta wanted him to enter the midfield. There was a moment during the overloaded opening exchange when he brought an opposite round after Jesus, who brought it back to Martin Ødegaard before the captain was overcrowded.

It was a different story when Ødegaard went to Lewis-Skelly in the 34th minute. Until then, Arsenal had forced Monaco; They could have the feeling that they had control. Now Lewis-Skelly Eliesse Ben Seghir came to him and searched for theft and a quick transition. The adolescent simply tricked around him and showed his physicality before struck an excellent passport for Jesus on the left. When he crossed, Saka had a tap-in on the long post.

It was a relief for Jesus. Until then, the focus of Arsenal’s formation was the focus for the wrong reasons. He shot too close to Radoslaw Majecki, early from a Ødegaard Pass, while he could not get to a Mikel Merino cross. Then the bad stuff came, the big misses – the first a real depth. Jesus ran to a long Jakub Kiwior ball. He only had to hit a Majecki. The goalkeeper made the decision not to get out. Jesus shot directly on him.

Arsenal pressed. When Gabriel Martinelli won the ball high, he released Jesus with a quick pass, whereby the No. 9 Thilo Kehrer holds, but shoots too close to Majecki again. He blocked and was first a rebound.

Arsenal threatened to break away after the breakthrough. Ødegaard teased with his dancing feet; He drove the team with his energy. Martinelli had derived Target when Ødegaard rupted to Kehrer, who had been sold briefly by SOUNGOUTOU Magassa, won the ball and reached a gilded one-to-one-one use. Ødegaard dragged on; Another sick arsenal measure. There would be another before the interval. It was Ødegaard with the beautiful passport, but Martinelli, who was in the middle, in contrast to Jesus, shot wastingly.

The Monaco manager Adi Hütter agreed with Arsenal and reflected his 4-3-3 system and wanted to see whether his players could win the one-on-one talks. With Aleksandr Golovin on the left of the midfield three, albeit with the license to the drift, the idea was the balance; Swampness in possession. Monaco wanted to show why they enjoyed their first appearance in the group phase since 2018-19. How they could beat Barcelona in their opening tie at home.

Hütter reconfigured himself for the second half, withdrew Magassa, let Lamine Camara fall back into the role of the midfield and introduced Takumi Minamino on the left. Kehrer flashed a header from a free kick when he might score a goal. Monaco had greater fluidness; They pushed higher, especially their full -back.

Areta made changes, three at the same time in the 64th minute. But the game had a different feeling. Monaco should have had from the dispute. Now they felt that the balance was there for them. Breel Embolo blew a golden chance after Minamino rolled the ball into him and spread the lower corner.

And yet it would dive from Monaco; A case in which you lead heavy fire on your own feet. Areta had sent Kai Havertz for Jesus and the German could see that Monaco felt uncomfortable in a sequence that played from behind. When Mohammed Salisu left a terribly short back pass for Majecki, Havertz brought the pressure. Majecki could only come to Saka, who controlled herself and stood herself. The rest was a formality.