Arsenal cruise past Leverkusen to reach Champions League quarterfinals

Arsenal FC cruised into the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win.

Eberechi Eze scored a stunning first Champions League goal, opening the scoring with a superb 20-yard strike, before Declan Rice added a composed second to secure progression.

According to ESPN, Arsenal had been tested in Germany in the first leg, where they needed a last-gasp penalty from Kai Havertz to earn a 1-1 draw.

However, there was nothing “ugly” or “boring” about this performance, as Mikel Arteta’s side dominated proceedings from start to finish.

The Gunners have now reached the quarterfinals for the third successive year and, with Sporting CP awaiting them, they will be confident of progressing even further.

Arsenal’s strong form continues across all competitions. They hold a nine-point lead in the Premier League, are set to face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, and have an FA Cup quarterfinal clash against Southampton FC—keeping hopes of a historic quadruple alive.

With 16-year-old Dowman named among the substitutes, Leandro Trossard returned to the starting lineup after recovering from a hip injury.

Trossard created Arsenal’s first clear chance after being set up by Bukayo Saka, curling an effort towards the top corner that forced a flying save from Janis Blaswich.

Moments later, a Saka corner found Gabriel Magalhães, whose header narrowly missed the target.

Blaswich remained busy, denying efforts from Rice and Saka, before producing a superb reflex save to keep out Trossard.

Arsenal’s pressure eventually paid off 10 minutes before half-time.

Eze controlled Trossard’s pass on the edge of the box, turned sharply and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner past Blaswich.

After the break, Piero Hincapié and Viktor Gyökeres came close to extending the lead.

However, it was Rice who sealed the victory just after the hour mark, capitalising on a weak clearance before driving forward and calmly finishing from the edge of the area.

Leverkusen threatened late on, but David Raya produced a fine save to deny Christian Kofane, ensuring Arsenal completed a dominant and convincing win.

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