On March 9, there was one of the matches of the Europa League. Sporting (Lisbon) and Arsenal (London) met.
Europa League
Sporting (Lisbon). - Arsenal (London) - 2:2 (1:1)
Goals: Gonzalo Inacio (34), Paulinho (55) - V. Saliba (22), Hidemasa Morita (62)
Warnings: Zinchenko (24), Sebastian Coates (24), Gabriel Martinelli (43), Hidemasa Morita (58)
The long-awaited UEFA Europa League match between Sporting and Arsenal did not disappoint. The two teams battled on the pitch of the Stadio José Alvalade, ending the match in a 2-2 draw. Arsenal started the match well, scoring a goal by V. Saliba in the 22nd minute. Sporting CP quickly responded with a goal of their own, scored by G. Inacio in the 34th minute. At the end of the first half, Sporting players S. Coates and Arsenal's O. Zinchenko received yellow cards. The teams went to halftime with the score tied at 1-1. Sporting started the second half with a goal by Paulinho on 55 minutes. However, their advantage was short-lived, as on the 62nd minute X. Morita scored an own goal just a few minutes later.
Morita's mistake cost Sporting dearly. In the remainder of the match, both teams made numerous substitutions, trying to gain an advantage. In the 63rd minute, Arsenal's T. Tomiyasu came on instead of Zinchenko, and in the 71st minute, Sporting's Trinchao and N. Santos came on. Despite all efforts, neither team was able to reverse the situation and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. In the 76th minute, Sporting KP made two more substitutions: J. Cermiti and O. Diomande, while Arsenal released J. Kivior and R. Nelson, as well as Jorginho and T. Partey. In the final minutes of the match, Sporting CP made one last substitution: M. Edwards replaced I. Fatava in the 89th minute. In the end, both teams showed a strong game and the draw was a fair result of their efforts.
In the next round, the rivals are waiting for the following matches: Arsenal - Sporting, Arsenal - Sporting.
| Sporting | Arsenal | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Shots on goal | 6 |
| 10 | Shots | 13 |
| 1 | Blocked kicks | 3 |
| 5 | Kicks from the penalty area | 8 |
| 5 | Kicks from behind the penalty box | 5 |
| 9 | Violations | 6 |
| 3 | Corner | 8 |
| 0 | Offsides | 1 |
| 33% | Ball possession | 67% |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 5 | Saves by goalkeeper | 4 |
| 304 | Total assists | 602 |
| 230 | Accurate passes | 527 |
| 76% | Accuracy of transmissions | 88% |