Post-Match Report

Report: Girona 1-2 Arsenal

Ethan Nwaneri scores against Girona

We finished third in the Champions League table to secure a spot in the last-16 thanks to a comeback victory against Girona.

All the goals came in the first half, and Arnaut Danjuma gave the hosts a surprise lead against the run of play, but we turned things around with two goals in four minutes thanks to a Jorginho penalty and a fine Ethan Nwaneri effort.

Raheem Sterling missed a penalty deep into second-half stoppage-time, but enough had been done to secure our sixth win from eight matches in the competition this term to finish only behind Liverpool and Barcelona, and allow us the chance to watch what happens in the play-off round next month from afar.


Danjuma does the damage

Seeking a fourth successive Champions League win for the first time since 2005, we began in dominant fashion. Sterling curled an early effort just over from the edge of the box before a teasing Nwaneri cross found Leandro Trossard in space, but the well-placed Belgian stabbed the ball the wrong side of the post.

It looked as though the breakthrough had arrived on 11 minutes when Riccardo Calafiori latched onto a Sterling pass and cooly slotted past goalkeeper Pau Lopez but our defender was denied the chance to score in successive games by an offside flag.

According to the official stats, 43% of the game was played in the Girona defensive third in the opening 25 minutes - and yet by 28 minutes the already-eliminated hosts somehow found a way to get in front.

From centre-back, Juanpe threaded a perfect pass into the path of Danjuma who had slipped behind Thomas Partey, and with Neto stranded 25 yards from his goal, the former Bournemouth and Tottenham winger whipped a first-time effort around our debutant and into the net to give the home crowd hope that they could claim just a second European win in their history.


Two before the break

It was a lead Girona scarcely deserved, but we didn’t let it deter us and within 10 minutes we found our way back level again via the penalty spot. Partey wriggled his way into the area and was sent to the turf by a clumsy Arnau Martinez challenge, so Jorginho grabbed the ball and tucked it past Lopez to register his second Gunners goal - both from 12 yards.

And then four minutes before half-time, a piece of magic from Nwaneri got us back into the changing rooms with the lead.

The 17-year-old picked the ball up from Trossard inside the Girona box, and dribbled back out of it to edge into a more central position. When he got the sight of goal he desired, he let rip and blasted an unstoppable shot past the helpless Lopez to become the second youngster English scorer of a Champions League goal after Jude Bellingham.

It could have been even better at the break as Trossard was sent scuttling into the box by Martin Odegaard and from a tight angle thrashed an attempt off the top of the crossbar.


VAR to the rescue

The restart saw no let-up in terms of our attacking threat. Lopez prevented Alejandro Frances being credited with a bizarre own goal after a cross looped off him and towards the goal, Gabriel and Timber both came close to scoring from corners and Nwaneri again let fly from the edge of the area and saw his shot skid just wide.

But having lost by a single goal to Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and AC Milan by a single goal during the league phase, the La Liga outfit once again proved that they were tough to shake off, and just as the game seemed to be petering out, they would find the net again.

A swift counter-attack saw Girona’s all-time leading scorer Cristhian Stuani tuck the ball away to spark celebrations in the stands, but VAR intervened and found the veteran hitman to have strayed offside and we were given a reprieve.

As the game moved into stoppage-time, we had the chance to seal the points when Frances handled the ball inside the box, and Sterling was given the chance to score from the spot, but Lopez guessed the right way and pushed the attempt around the post, but the damage had already been done as we secured consecutive away wins in the competition for the first time since December 2016.

FACTS AND STATS

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.

Girona have lost 16 games in all competitions this season with only Southampton (20) losing more among big five European league sides in 2024-25.

Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri (17y 314d) became the second youngest Englishman to score a UEFA Champions League goal after Jude Bellingham (17y 289d - Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City in April 2021).

Excluding shootouts, all nine of Jorginho's goals in the UEFA Champions League have been penalties, the most goals a player has scored in the competition's history with 100% of them coming from the penalty spot.

Arnaut Danjuma's opener for Girona (32.19 yards) was the longest-range goal Arsenal have conceded in the UEFA Champions League since Cristiano Ronaldo's strike for Manchester United in May 2009 (34.6 yards). It was also the first goal the Gunners have conceded from open play in the competition this season.

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).

What's next

We host Manchester City in a huge Premier League clash on Sunday at Emirates Stadium, before we head to St James' Park to try and overturn a 2-0 deficit against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. We then have a 10-day gap before we're next in league action when we head to Leicester City.