Arsenal got their UEFA Champions League campaign off to the perfect start on Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory away at Athletic Club, while Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise stunned PSV Eindhoven with an impressive 3-1 triumph in the Netherlands.
At the iconic San Mamés, Mikel Arteta’s men had to battle through a physical contest before substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard made the difference in the closing stages of the Champions League game.
The breakthrough came in the 72nd minute when Martinelli, introduced just two minutes earlier, burst through the Athletic defence and calmly slotted past Unai Simón.
The Gunners sealed the win in the 87th minute, with Martinelli again at the heart of it. The Brazilian turned creator, sliding a pass to Trossard who made no mistake to double Arsenal’s lead and quiet the home crowd.
It was not all smooth sailing for Arsenal. Declan Rice picked up an early booking, while Viktor Gyökeres endured a nasty head clash with teammate Gabriel that required medical attention and eventually forced him off.
Despite those setbacks, Arsenal’s resilience and squad depth shone through as they claimed three vital points in the league phase action.
Meanwhile, in Eindhoven, Union Saint-Gilloise pulled off one of the night’s biggest results with a 3-1 victory against PSV at the Philips Stadium.
Nigerian forward Peter Akinpelu opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 9th minute, before Anouar Ait El Hadj doubled the lead in the 39th.
PSV tried to rally, but Kevin Mac Allister’s 81st-minute strike effectively killed off the contest before Ruben van Bommel grabbed a late consolation for the Dutch side in stoppage time.
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