Arsenal had a difficult Champions League night as Bukayo Saka hobbled out during the team’s loss in Lens.
Due to the delay in their flight to France caused by bad weather, Mikel Arteta and his players were stranded at Luton Airport for five hours on Monday.
Now after Lens came from behind to defeat them 2-1 at a rocking Stade Bollaert-Delelis, their dreams of avoiding a difficult ride in the knockout stages have also been dashed.
When Gabriel Jesus scored his 22nd Champions League goal to break the tie, he believed he had given the Gunners a boost.
However, expectations of a simple evening were dashed when goalkeeper David Raya made a mistake that allowed Adrien Thomasson to tie the score before Saka left the field injured for the third time in nine days.
Then, with 20 minutes remaining, Elye Wahi scored the winning goal to seal Group B, setting up Arsenal’s challenging trip to current Europa League champion Sevilla later this month.
“Mistakes happen in football and they will continue to be there in some way, but the difference was made in both boxes,” Mikel Arteta stated after the game. You must successfully score goals and play solid defense.
“That night was important for us. Despite not getting the desired outcome, we were still able to learn.
He continued, in reference to Bukayo Saka’s wound, “It was an action. He sensed something during this particular backheel. He couldn’t go on because he felt so awkward.
For Lens, this was their first home Champions League match in 21 years, and their supporters were not going to miss the chance to celebrate.
Kickoff was welcomed with a massive tifo, flares, and a wall of sound. Their team immediately attacked Arsenal, with Kevin Danso narrowly missing the target after collecting a corner.
Despite the hosts getting off to a quick start, Jesus’ clinical strike into the bottom corner gave Arsenal the lead after Saka had been given the ball by a shoddy backpass.
The Arsenal goalkeeper intercepted Raya’s attempt to move the ball into midfield as he stood beyond his box, and Thomasson quickly beat him with a beautiful curving shot to tie the game.
Saka then hobbled off the field hurt after colliding with the ball for the third straight game.
Despite recovering from late exits against Tottenham and Bournemouth, Fabio Vieira was brought in to replace him here, just five days before Manchester City’s visit.
As Arsenal attempted to regain the lead early in the second half, Leandro Trossard forced Brice Samba in goal for Lens into a deft stop.
Abdul Samed’s shot into the side netting immediately after the half served as a warning for the visitors as the Ligue 1 team began to seize control of the game.
Takehiro Tomiyasu had a fantastic opportunity to convert home a corner as the game opened up, but he was only able to shoot straight at Mendy.
Lens would take the lead thanks to Wahi, who scored past Raya with a sweeping move following another break down the right flank.
In response, Arteta made a triple replacement right away, replacing Trossard and Kai Havertz with Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson in place of the ineffective Oleksandr Zinchenko with Ben White.
Samba was relatively trouble-free for the rest of the game despite the changes, clearing a Smith Rowe drive when Arsenal was unable to clearly create an opportunity to save a point.