Arsenal's excellent performance in overcoming "death zone" has made a dream start in Champions League

(Dan Tri) - In the opening match of the Champions League, Arsenal won 2-0 at Bilbao's "death ground" San Mames.

Arsenal are set to face a tough trip to Bilbao's San Mames Stadium in their Champions League group stage opener. The Basque side have a reputation for being fearsome at home in the past.

Martinelli and Trossard scored to help Arsenal win against Bilbao (Photo: Getty).

In fact, Arsenal had a very difficult match. However, two substitutions by coach Mikel Arteta, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, scored to help the "Gunners" win 2-0 against Bilbao.

Going into this match, Bilbao gave Arsenal a hard time. The Basque team continuously attacked, forcing Arteta's team to play defensively.

After a difficult first 20 minutes, Arsenal began to regain control of the game and attack. However, the efforts of Madueke, Eze and Gyokeres were all unsuccessful. Although they created a few chances, the "Gunners" could not take advantage of them.

In the second half, the situation remained unchanged. Arsenal continuously pushed the ball to the flanks of Eze and Madueke but did not create any clear-cut chances towards Bilbao's goal.

In that context, coach Arteta decided to put Martinelli and Trossard on the field to refresh the attack. In the end, the Spanish strategist's move was effective.

Martinelli scored 1 goal and contributed 1 assist for Arsenal after coming on as a substitute (Photo: Getty).

In the 72nd minute, substitute Martinelli sprinted from midfield after receiving a pass from Trossard during Arsenal's counter-attack. He finally finished neatly, defeating goalkeeper Unai Simon.

After this goal, Bilbao was forced to attack and could not play defense. However, they could not overcome Arsenal's well-organized defense.

Not only that, in the 87th minute, Arsenal continued to score from a counter-attack. Martinelli had a breakthrough on the left wing, before passing back to Trossard to finish, scoring the goal to seal a 2-0 victory for Arsenal.

Line-up:

Bilbao : Simon, Gorosabel, Vivian, Paredes, Boiro, Vesga, Jauregizar, Berenguer, Sancet, Navarro, Inaki Williams

Arsenal : Raya, Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Merino, Madueke, Eze, Gyokeres

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/xuat-sac-vuot-tu-dia-arsenal-khoi-dau-nhu-mo-o-champions-league-20250917020307695.htm