Late Havertz strike gives Arsenal 1-0 lead over Sporting

Arsenal substitute Kai Havertz scored a ​stoppage-time goal to snatch a 1-0 win at Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

The Germany forward was found unmarked inside the box by Gabriel Martinelli ⁠before calmly slotting the ball past goalkeeper Rui Silva to settle a tactical encounter.

After ⁠a first half in which Sporting's Maxi Araujo and Arsenal's Noni ‌Madueke struck the woodwork, the ​visitors had a Martin Zubimendi effort disallowed before David Raya produced several late saves to deny the home side.

The deadlock was finally broken in added time by Havertz, who replaced the injured Martin Odegaard in the 70th minute, to secure the advantage ​before the return leg next ⁠Wednesday.

The winners face Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, who play their first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, in the semis.

ARSENAL REDEMPTION

Arsenal arrived in Lisbon seeking to bounce back from Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final exit at second-tier Southampton, ⁠and will ‌be delighted with the win but the sight of captain Odegaard limping off will concern manager Mikel Arteta.

The Norway midfielder appeared to ‌struggle throughout the match, having recently returned from a long-term injury layoff.

The first half was a ⁠cagey affair, with the woodwork denying both sides an opening goal. Araujo came close for the hosts, seeing his powerful ‌left-foot strike rebound off the post following a break into ‌the box in the opening minutes.

However, Arsenal grew into the contest and ‌nearly led through Madueke. The winger rose to meet an outswinging corner, ‌but his header clipped the bar with Silva beaten.

Despite the near misses, both teams struggled to find a consistent rhythm, with the tie remaining finely balanced heading into the second half.

Arsenal ⁠thought they had ⁠the breakthrough shortly after the hour when Zubimendi curled the ball into the net at the near post, but it was ruled out after a VAR review found former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres to be offside in the build-up.

With the hosts dominating the latter stages, Raya was forced into several crucial interventions, including a diving save to divert Geny Catamo's low header behind for a ​corner, with the Spaniard's performance earning the Player of the Match award.

The match ​seemed headed for a draw ​until a late lapse from the Sporting defence gave Havertz the space to control the ball and find ​a clinical finish to put Arsenal in the driving seat.