Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: My Matchday Musings

Arsenal 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League 2024

Arsenal vs Shakhtar 2024 Champions League Match Overview

Well, it wasn’t exactly a thriller at the Emirates, but a win is a win, right? but Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League had more nervous moments than it should’ve. And who do we have to thank? Shakhtar’s goalkeeper, Dmytro Riznyk, of course! His unfortunate own goal handed us three points and kept us unbeaten in the Champions League. Thank you, Dmytro, but, er, sorry about that.

Let’s just say this performance won’t be going into the Arsenal hall of fame, but as they say, it’s the result that counts. It’s like when you whip up dinner in 15 minutes—it might not be gourmet, but it’s still food.

Key Moments from Arsenal’s 1-0 Win over Shakhtar

The lineup was looking sharp with both Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli back in action after missing our loss against Bournemouth (let’s not talk about that). Right from the start, Jesus was fired up, darting down the right flank like he’d had an extra espresso pre-match. He sent in a teasing cross that Kai Havertz was this close to getting on the end of—how many times have we said that this season? But credit to Shakhtar’s defense for clearing their lines.

The lineup was looking sharp with both Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli back in action after missing our loss against Bournemouth (let’s not talk about that). Right from the start, Jesus was fired up, darting down the right flank like he’d had an extra espresso pre-match. He sent in a teasing cross that Kai Havertz was this close to getting on the end of—how many times have we said that this season? But credit to Shakhtar’s defense for clearing their lines.

Those early minutes felt promising—we were buzzing around their box, winning corners like it was a training drill. Trossard swung one in that found Calafiori, but his finish… well, let’s just say it’s a good thing he’s a defender.

After that, the game lost its spark a bit. Shakhtar started to find their rhythm, and their winger Eguinaldo—cool name, right?—started causing a bit of chaos down our left. For a moment there, I was getting flashbacks to some of our more “exciting” defensive collapses from past seasons.

Riznyk’s Own Goal and Missed Penalty – Turning Points in Arsenal vs Shakhtar 2024

But then, on the half-hour mark, the footballing gods smiled on us. Martinelli—who was looking lively—wiggled through two defenders and cracked a shot off the post. It ricocheted off poor Riznyk, who, probably in his best “I’m just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time” moment, watched the ball bounce off his own body and trickle into the net. Yeah, it was lucky, but if you don’t take shots, you don’t force own goals, right?

We had chances to extend the lead before the break, with Havertz putting his body on the line (literally) and Jesus forcing a good save from Riznyk. But we couldn’t quite find that killer instinct. Story of our season sometimes—great build-up, but finishing that leaves you pulling your hair out.

The Missed Penalty… Again

The second half had me hoping we’d kill the game off early. Trossard came close with a header, and Martinelli was still causing all kinds of problems, but we needed that second goal. And when VAR handed us a penalty in the 70th minute for handball, it felt like it was finally going to happen. Trossard stepped up, the Emirates held its breath… and Riznyk redeemed himself, saving the penalty with his feet. Classic.

Cue the nerves. It felt like one of those games where you just knew we’d end up sweating it out in the final minutes. And, oh boy, did we.

Raya to the Rescue

In stoppage time, Shakhtar’s Pedrinho—who’d been relatively quiet—decided to try his luck from distance. For a second, my heart was in my throat. Thankfully, David Raya was equal to it, pulling off a save that will probably go unnoticed in the highlight reels but saved us from dropping points. A shoutout to him for that, because I was mentally preparing for the headlines about how we threw it away.

The Numbers Game

A couple of interesting nuggets to take away from this game. It was our first 1-0 win in a Champions League group stage match since we edged Borussia Dortmund back in 2013. If you remember that game, it had similar “we should’ve done more” vibes. And how about this for trivia: Riznyk became only the third player in Champions League history to both score an own goal and save a penalty in the same match. That’s a very niche stat, but hey, football’s full of weird records like that.

What’s Next?

Now we turn our attention back to the Premier League with a big one coming up—Liverpool at home. That’s gonna be spicy. And then we’re off to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan in early November for another Champions League battle. Fingers crossed we keep that clean sheet streak going.

So yeah, it wasn’t a game to set your pulse racing, but three points is three points. And as far as Champions League campaigns go, staying unbeaten is a pretty good place to be. Let’s just hope for a bit more flair and a little less nail-biting next time.

Read more

Naseem
Author: Naseem

DON’T MISS A THING

Be the first to know when we post new content or Arsenal Cape Town news

This field is required.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Leave a Reply