Arsenal maintained their perfect Champions League record with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium, driven by brilliant solo goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.
The game was shrouded in uncertainty due to Club Brugge’s last-minute managerial change, with Ivan Leko returning to the bench, catching Mikel Arteta by surprise.
Yet Arsenal’s own squad issues loomed larger: absences of Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, plus rests for Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori after injuries.
Arteta fielded a makeshift defense, Christian Norgaard paired with Piero Hincapie at center-back, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White at full-back, while Mikel Merino joined Martin Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi in midfield.
Viktor Gyokeres started up front for the first time in six weeks, flanked by Madueke and Martinelli. A youthful bench featured Ethan Nwaneri.
Despite looking vulnerable at times without the ball, Arsenal posed constant threats. Hincapie’s early effort struck the post before Madueke’s magic moment: battling through a dislocated finger, he cut inside from the right, beat Seys, and smashed a rocket off the underside of the bar—his second Champions League goal in as many games.
Arsenal quickly extended their lead. Zubimendi raced down the left and floated a perfect cross to the back post, where Madueke headed in unmarked from close range.
The goalkeeper’s error mattered little to the jubilant away fans, who overpowered the home crowd’s murmurs.
Brugge showed a brief fight when Christos Tzolis tested David Raya with a long-range shot, drawing a smart save.
But Arsenal responded emphatically: Martinelli darted in from the left, shifted to his right foot, and curled a stunning shot into the top corner, his fifth consecutive Champions League goal, a club record.
Six wins from six secure Arsenal’s near-certain top-eight spot and last-16 qualification, enabling rotation against Inter Milan and Kairat Almaty in late January. Attention now turns to a packed domestic slate. Onward.
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