Arsenal 5-0 FC Porto: Bendtner Hat Trick Powers Gunners to UCL Quarterfinals

With to Cesc Fabregas in the line-up for Arsenal against FC Porto and a 2-1 deficit to make up from the first leg, many had doubts about the Gunners having what it takes to top FC Porto and move on to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. In short, they were dead wrong.

Arsenal took the early initiative, applying pressure throughout the first 10 minutes and making Porto look lost and unprepared.

Andrei Arshavin found himself open at the back post in the 8th minute and almost put Arsenal up 1-0. Bacary Sagna’s perfect cross found Arshavin’s head, but the redirection went right to Porto goalkeeper Helton, who pushed it wide.

Two minutes later, though, Arsenal’s early pressure would pay off. Arshavin knocked a ball down to Samir Nasri just past midfield, who then split the Porto center backs and played Arshavin through. A sliding Arshavin collided with Helton and the ball spit out to a waiting Nicklas Bendtner, who tapped the ball in to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.

The goal would wake Porto up as the visitors created some chances immediately following the goal. However, things would not get any better for them.

In the 25th minute, Porto right back Jorge Fucile’s blunder would begin a series of defensive mistakes and see Arsenal double its lead. Fucile kept a ball in play that would have resulted in a Porto throw-in and his terrible clearance went right to a waiting Arshavin just 10 yards away.

Arshavin took the ball and weaved through three Porto defenders and slotted a square ball to Bendtner, who tapped it in to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead.

It should have been 3-0 in the 34th minute when Nasri made an incredible run and played a negative ball across the goal mouth that eluded three Porto defenders and Helton to find Arshavin. The Russian had an empty net to secure a dominating lead for the home side, but put the ball over the bar from 12 yards out.

Along with the help of the post, Helton kept the visitors from going down 3-0 when he pushed Thomas Vermaelen’s header off the post and away from goal. Helton also pushed Nasri’s shot wide in stoppage time and Arsenal would go into the half up 2-0 after a dominating performance.

The home side’s dominance only continued in the second half.

Nasri would display an act of individual brilliance in the 63rd minute, dribbling through three defenders and scoring from a near impossible angle. His shot hit off the inside of the post and went into the net to make it 3-0.

Just three minutes later, Arsenal went up 4-0 after Arshavin played Emmanuel Eboue in behind the Porto defense. Eboue made a run the length of the field to join the attack and was rewarded when he tapped the ball into the goal. Bendtner would then complete the hat trick in the 90th minute when he buried a penalty past Helton.

5-0 was the final at the Emirates, and FC Porto was thoroughly embarrassed out of the Champions League. Arsenal moves on to the quarterfinals by a 6-2 aggregate score.