Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal: Kai Havertz scores late winner in Champions League quarter-final first leg

Kai Havertz scored late to secure a one-goal advantage for Arsenal as their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Sporting CP heads to London next Wednesday.

Match in brief: Kai Havertz's calm finish seals late win

Stern defences were set to win the day in Lisbon until Arsenal substitute Kai Havertz struck the stoppage-time winner.

As it happened: Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal

The first half had ended goalless, though both sides struck the crossbar early on.

First was Sporting’s Maximiliano Araújo, who raced on to Ousmane Diomande’s excellent pass in the sixth minute but saw his blistering left-footed effort tipped onto the crossbar by David Raya.

Arsenal’s turn to threaten came nine minutes later – Noni Madueke rattling woodwork directly from an inswinging corner before Martin Ødegaard shot wide from the rebound.

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Chances remained at a premium in the second half until the closing stages when Havertz, less than ten minutes after Geny Catamo had tested Raya with a close-range header, guided in the winner from Gabriel Martinelli's excellent set-up.

The introduction of Max Dowman in the 76th minute also gave cause for Arsenal celebration, the young forward becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in the Champions League quarter-finals at 16 years and 97 days old.

Line-ups

Sporting CP: Rui Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Araújo; João Simões (Daniel Bragança 62), Morita; Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves (Rafael Nel 79); Suárez

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Ødegaard (Havertz 70), Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke (Dowman 76), Gyökeres, Trossard (Martinelli 76)

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PlayStation® Player of the Match: David Raya

“High-level performance. He was influential at keeping a clean sheet for Arsenal. Really alert and secure. Made the save earlier on which was an important moment in the game for Arsenal."

UEFA Technical Observer Group

UEFA via Getty Images

Carlos Machado, match reporter

Arsenal are closer to the last four after a deserved win in Lisbon. They dominated almost the entire game, but only managed to make a breakthrough near the end. From that point of view, Sporting proved that they were a hard nut to crack and the tie is still far from over.

Key stats

At 16 years and 97 days old, Max Dowman is the youngest-ever player to appear in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, beating the previous mark set by Lamine Yamal (16 years and 272 days old).

Arsenal remain undefeated against Sporting CP in UEFA competition, earning their third win to go along with three draws.

The Gunners have lost only one of their last 12 UEFA matches against Portuguese teams (W6 D5).

Arsenal are unbeaten in the first leg of their last nine European Cup/Champions League quarter-final ties (W4 D5).

Sporting CP lost at home for the first time since 30 August 2025 when they were defeated by 2-1 Porto in their domestic league.

The Lions have won only two of their last 14 UEFA matches against English opposition (D5 L7).

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Reaction

Kai Havertz, Arsenal forward, speaking to Amazon Prime: "To score a late goal is always nice, especially in front of the fans. There's still a lot of work to do next week but we take the result, for sure."

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, speaking to Amazon Prime: "I'm very happy. To win away from home in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against a team that haven't lost for so long at home is so difficult."

David Raya, Player of the Match, speaking to UEFA: "It's very important to have those moments that can change games, that can change ties. It was very important to get that win today and go ahead for the next game that will be a very tough one, at home."

Rui Borges, Sporting coach, speaking to UEFA: "It’s frustrating. It’s only natural to feel a bit frustrated after the great game we played here against a top-class side. If you look at the 92 minutes, we had three or four clear-cut chances, whereas they had none apart from the disallowed goal. We just needed to be a bit sharper in front of goal. That’s football; let’s keep our heads up and believe that it’s possible."

Maximiliano Araújo, Sporting defender, speaking to UEFA: "We knew it was going to be a very tough match. We had some great chances. If the ball had gone in, it would have been a different game, but the important thing is that we created chances down both flanks and did what we’ve been working on. A momentary lapse in concentration ended up costing us the match, but there are plenty of positives and now we need to focus on what lies ahead."

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