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“Impactors,” Mikel Arteta dubbed them, and the Brazilian winger undoubtedly delivered quite an impact at the iconic Basque stadium. “Sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a team,” Arteta earlier stated, and while describing the pivotal goal in those historic language might be pushing it, the beginning of their UCL adventure highlighted precisely why he stressed on the critical need of bench quality.

Bench Heroes Turn the Tie

On a night where the North London side were missing several key individuals and struggled to penetrate a durable Athletic Bilbao, the answer came from the substitutes. Gabriel Martinelli, after having been introduced for just under a minute, sprinted past the defensive line and calmly placed the ball beyond the goalkeeper to open the impasse with just under twenty minutes to go.

Providing the through ball was the Belgian forward, who come on mere five minutes earlier than his teammate. Trossard subsequently secured the victory with a second goal in the dying stages of the contest. The previous campaign, the manager had lamented his squad’s absence of depth; this time around, it was their contribution from the reserves that made the key.

A Tough Battle

During large parts of a raucous evening in Bilbao, Arsenal found it difficult to generate genuine opportunities. The winger remained the primary danger for a significant stretch of the tie. However, a unclaimed ball in the center of the park dropped to Trossard, who swiftly played a through ball into the path for Martinelli to attack.

Despite a a bit overhit initial control, Martinelli recovered expertly, leaving behind his marker before netting beyond the goalkeeper. The away fans celebrated wildly in a corner of San Mamés.

Deep in the game, Trossard scored a another to confirm a memorable victory on the first night of their European return.

Financial Divide Noted

An stark gap in team cost was clear: Arsenal’s lineup was valued around a massive sum, while their opponents’ equivalent outfit amounted to just a fraction of that. However, Athletic declined to use that as an excuse not to compete, and for long periods of the match, they more than competed evenly.

The Gunners dominated the ball in the opening minutes but showing real cutting edge. The home side grew into the game and produced openings of their own, with a midfielder taking the first real attempt on goal, which was blocked by Gabriel Magalhães.

As the game progressed, each teams exchanged chances, with the visitors slowly gaining control as the first half continued. The striker saw his effort saved by the keeper after sprinting into the area, and later glanced narrowly off target from a delivery.

Following the half-time, the winger continued being dangerous, drawing a good stop from Simón at his front post. Arsenal’s goalkeeper was also called into action by Iñaki Williams as the hosts pushed for an advantage.

Ultimately, it was Arteta’s substitutions that proved pivotal. The introduction of Martinelli and Trossard utterly shifted the game, providing the momentum required to earn a important away win in the Champions League.