Arsenal Cruise Past Club Brugge to Maintain Perfect Champions League Run

Arsenal extended their flawless Champions League campaign on Wednesday night with a commanding 3–0 victory over Club Brugge at the Jan Breydelstadion. The win, powered by a Noni Madueke brace and a sharp finish from Gabriel Martinelli, ensured the Gunners stayed firmly on top of the standings while effectively securing a top-eight finish. 

With six wins from six, Arsenal are now set to bypass February’s knockout playoffs and advance directly to the round of 16 in March.

Coming off a weekend defeat to Aston Villa and dealing with an injury-hit squad, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rotated heavily, making five changes to the starting lineup. Despite the adjustments, the visitors controlled much of the match and were further boosted by the return of Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who made his first appearance in almost a year with a 30-minute second-half cameo.

Madueke opened the scoring in style in the 25th minute. Picking up the ball near the halfway line, he surged forward before launching a powerful strike that rocketed into the top corner. Brugge responded with a spell of pressure and nearly equalised in the 39th minute when Aleksandar Stankovic curled an effort just wide. Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was called into action twice before halftime, producing key saves from Christos Tzolis and Stankovic.

But Brugge’s momentum evaporated quickly after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Martin Zubimendi delivered a pinpoint cross from the left, finding Madueke unmarked at the far post. The forward nodded home his second of the night, punishing a static home defence. Reflecting on his performance, Madueke said, “The first goal was really nice, second a tap-in, but the first one was sweet. We’re fighting on all fronts. I feel like we can win this competition and win the league; that has to be the aim. We’re in a good place at the moment.”

Martinelli added Arsenal’s third nine minutes later, cutting in from the left and blasting a right-footed shot into the net—his fifth goal in as many Champions League appearances this season. Jesus nearly capped his return with a goal in the 79th minute but struck the crossbar. Arsenal also handed a debut to 16-year-old Marli Salmon, who became the club’s fourth-youngest player when he entered in the final stages.

Brugge, unsettled after the surprise dismissal of coach Nicky Hayen earlier in the week, struggled to match Arsenal’s quality under newly reinstated manager Ivan Leko. Stankovic acknowledged the challenge, saying, “We played against a very good team. Against the best in the world… You have to be able to score quickly against teams like that. Well, we’re a young team, and we’re learning from this.”