A NIGHT LIKE this could so easily have sapped the spirit of these Arsenal players.
Instead they will feel energised and revitalised as their Champions League ride rolls on to the quarter finals.
Porto made them suffer for 120 minutes but in the penalty shootout Mikel Arteta’s men were nerveless.
And if the Arsenal boss needed any further vindication for his decision to jettison Aaron Ramsdale and make David Raya his No.1 then the Spanish goalkeeper provided it.
His save from Galeno to secure safe passage was a full-circle moment in the tie given the Brazilian beat Raya with a long-range effort in the final seconds of the first leg.
From 12 yards Raya was the hero.
One of the reasons Arteta prefers the on-loan Brentford man to Ramsdale is because of his ability with the ball at his feet.
It is demanded that the modern goalkeeper be comfortable as well as commanding in his own six-yard box.
When he helped keep Porto’s second penalty out he took it to new extremes, albeit without having any clue he was doing so.
Wendell, excellent all night at left back, beat Raya with his effort but it rebounded off the post and onto the keepers’ trailing leg.
Replays showed he backheeled the ball to safety.
You only needed one look to see him get strong hands to Galeno’s final effort, though.
It was a thrilling end to a night that could so easily have left a lingering sense of despair for Arsenal before they next play again – a trip to Manchester City on 31 March in a Premier League title race that will test all elements of their resolve.
Porto put it up to them here, suffocating their attacking instincts by being devoted to discipline both in and out of possession.
Centre back Pepe, he of Real Madrid infamy, epitomised the spirit of the Portuguese.
At 41 he is the same age as Mikel Arteta, but perhaps he has mellowed with age because it was the Arsenal manager who received a yellow card first for histrionics on the touchline while the Portugal legend marshalled his teammates through the night with a sense of calm and poise before a booking with a quarter of an hour of normal time to go.
It didn’t feel like it would end up going all the way to penalties when Arsenal did find a way through four minutes before half time.
Leandro Trossard was the one who slotted home the cool finish but it was created thanks to the genius of Martin Odegaard – a perfect blend of his determination and technical ability wrapped into 11 glorious seconds of total football.
When quick-thinking and creativity align there is no stopping it – not even the bloody-minded Pepe.
For 41 minutes the visitors not only comfortably held Arsenal at bay, they threatened in the final third and showed they would be capable of punishing any lapses in concentration. There was nothing clear cut but a decent move on 22 minutes saw Evanilson find space in the box and force David Raya into a decent save.
Porto had a purpose and energy to their play that, somehow, caught Arsenal off guard.
The Portuguese weren’t simply going to camp on their 18-yard box and hold on to the 1-0 lead secured in the final seconds of the first leg.
When William Saliba was booked for a professional foul after being easily turned and spun out wide on the half way line it was an example of how Porto were probing well for their openings.
Even Arsenal’s opener – for all of the magic Odeegard would provide – was an indication of their increasing desperation as the first half wore on.
Jorginho dropped deep, saw the run in behind from Kai Havertz and chanced his arm with a long ball.
It was easily red and cut out by Wendell.
This was the start of Odegaard’s impact.
The Norwegian was just a couple of yards inside Porto’s half when Jorginho went long. Rather than being caught on his heels he anticipated the breaking ball after Wendell’s interception.
He had run off the shoulder of Nico Gonzalez and was able to carry the ball across to the left flank. He laid it off to Trossard on Arsenal’s left flank, spun his head quickly three times to get a picture of what was around him and then received the ball back from the Belgian.
Francisco Conceicao attempted to close him down but Odeegard simply shimmied and took the ball to his left. He was faced up by Alan Varela and Pepe and it seemed as though there was no way through. Right back Joao Mario was even drawn to Odeegard and completely missed the run of Trossard in behind.
That was Odegaard’s cue and he teed it up with a sublime ball for the forward to stride onto and convert.
The half-time break perhaps interrupted the momentum that would have been generated but Porto’s ability to maintain their resolve rather than wilt was more of a factor.
Pepe, as well as his name sake further up the pitch, were two reasons for that but the tenacity of Varela in front of the defence was equally as impressive.
Odegaard had the ball in the net on 67 minutes but Havertz was, correctly, penalised for a tug on Pepe in the build up. That is when Arteta’s complaints went too far and he was booked.
By now Porto had retreated deeper and were unable to maintain possession or pose a serious threat on the counter.
But Arsenal toiled too.
Odegaard was the one most likely to create and he could have won it approaching 90 minutes when he scuffed a shot wide.
Extra-time was the slog you would expect and Arsenal will hope that victory in the shootout provides the boost required at such a crucial stage of a season that sees them fighting on two fronts.
