Arsenal
By Olamilekan Abayomi
Gabriel Jesus scored a brace to lead Arsenal to a 3-1 win over Inter Milan, securing their spot in the Champions League last 16. Jesus, who started in place of Viktor Gyokeres, opened the scoring in the 10th minute and doubled Arsenal’s lead in the 31st minute. Gyokeres sealed the win with a fine strike in the 84th minute.
The victory marks Arsenal’s seventh straight win in the Champions League, a club record. Jesus, who returned from an 11-month injury, expressed his emotions after the match, saying, “It’s a dream night. I always dreamed of being a footballer. I watched when I was a kid, I watched a lot of Serie A, so to be here in this stadium and score here is tears in my eyes.
Inter looked to have weathered the early storm, but Arsenal hit the front when Jurrien Timber’s scuffed effort was finished off by Jesus’ hooked shot from just outside the six-yard box. The hosts bounced back eight minutes later, Nicolo Barella’s initial attempt was blocked and the ball fell to Petar Sucic who let fly from the edge of the area into the roof of the net.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Jesus’ performance, saying, “He deserves the man of the match award.” Jesus’ impact was significant, and his performance will surely give Arteta food for thought ahead of Sunday’s game with Manchester United.
The win guarantees Arsenal a top-two finish in the league phase, which means home advantage in the second leg all the way through to the semi-finals. They sit top of the standings on 21 points, six ahead of Bayern Munich who host Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.
Jesus’ return to form is a boost for Arsenal, who have been looking for consistency from their strikers. His performance against Inter will give him confidence heading into the remainder of the season.
Inter, on the other hand, remain on 12 points after a third consecutive loss and drop to ninth in the table, leaving them in danger of missing out on an automatic place in the last 16.
The victory is a significant milestone for Arsenal, who have never won the Champions League, although they reached the final in 2006, losing to Barcelona.
