Arsenal beat Club Brugge 3-0 in Belgium, securing a sixth straight Champions League win and virtually guaranteeing a last-16 spot
ARSENAL delivered a commanding 3-0 away victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday to maintain a 100% record in the Champions League.
The win gives the Gunners a perfect six wins from six matches in the competition’s league phase.
Noni Madueke opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike in the first half.
The former Chelsea winger then added a second shortly after the restart, heading home from close range.
Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli sealed the dominant win with a fine curling effort from outside the box.
The result leaves Arsenal top of the standings with 18 points, virtually assuring a top-eight finish.
Finishing in the top eight guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16, bypassing a play-off round.
Manager Mikel Arteta praised his team’s resilience given their lengthy injury list.
“To win away from home especially when we have that many players out, it makes the task bigger,” Arteta told TNT Sports.
The victory came after Arsenal suffered their first league defeat since August at the weekend.
Club Brugge were under new management, with Ivan Leko overseeing his first match after Nicky Hayen’s sacking.
Arteta made five changes to his starting lineup, with Christian Norgaard starting in defence.
Arsenal came close early when a deflected shot hit the post, before Madueke’s thunderbolt broke the deadlock.
Brugge offered sporadic threats, with Carlos Forbs and Aleksandar Stankovic testing David Raya before halftime.
Any home momentum evaporated immediately after the break with Madueke’s second goal.
Martinelli’s fine finish in the 56th minute put the result beyond any doubt.
Substitute Gabriel Jesus, returning after 11 months out, struck the crossbar late on as Arsenal pressed for more. – AFP
