Arsenal 3-2 Benfica (4-3 agg): 5 Talking Points as Aubameyang rescues the Gunners yet again | Europa League 2020-21
Arsenal needed talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to come to their rescue as they produced a thrilling comeback to defeat Benfica in their Round of 32 UEFA Europa League fixture. The visitors led 2-1 on the hour mark, only for the Gunners to score a winner in the final minutes and break Portuguese hearts.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 21st minute with an extremely well-taken goal. He ran on to Bukayo Saka's pass and dinked the ball over the onrushing Helton Leite in the Benfica goal.
Arsenal controlled the rest of the first half, restricting their opponents to the odd counter-attack, only to suffer a sucker punch in the 43rd minute. Diogo Goncalves picked the perfect moment to score his first Benfica goal as he guided a delicious free kick into the top corner, leaving Bernd Leno with no chance.
Dani Ceballos conceded the free kick for Benfica's opening goal, and the Spaniard made another error for the Portuguese side's second. A backwards header from a long ball fell to Rafa Silva and he waltzed past Leno to score Benfica's second goal.
Arsenal needed to score twice in 29 minutes to avoid crashing out, and Kieran Tierney swiftly reduced the arrears with a hammer of a shot into the bottom corner in the 67th minute.
The match was finely poised going into the final minutes. Up stepped Saka, who delivered a peach of a cross to Aubameyang at the far post. The Gabonese striker made no mistake from close range and handed Arsenal their winner.
Benfica came close in injury time as they hit the post from a cross, although the player in question looked offside. The Gunners did manage to hold on and progress to the pre-quarterfinals after a thrilling night in Greece.
On that note, here are the five major talking poings from the Europa League game between Arsenal and Benfica.
#1 Aubameyang atones for his first leg performance
Perhaps the enduring memory of Arsenal's 'away' leg in Rome was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang guiding the ball wide of goal when faced with a relatively open net. It came to haunt the Gunners as Mikel Arteta's side came away with a draw in a game they ought to have won.
Those memories were swiftly put to bed in the 21st minute as Aubameyang timed his run to perfection and chipped the ball past the keeper from a narrow angle. The run for the winner displayed his predatory instincts, which would've come as no surprise to his partner-in-crime, Bukayo Saka.
The popular opinion is that Aubemeyang is suffering his worst season in an Arsenal shirt, but the striker now leads the list of goal involvements for the club this season with fourteen.
Whatever Arsenal are to achieve this season, one can be sure that Aubameyang's contribution will be crucial one. He is their best player and almost always comes to the fore in big games.
#2 Benfica were disappointing despite coming close
It's been an unhappy return to Portugal for Jorge Jesus after his heroics with Flamengo, but for moments in this game, the Benfica boss could dream. His team wasn't particularly impressive in either game - a penalty, free-kick and profiting from some calamitous defending were hardly hallmarks of an expensively assembled squad.
Darwin Nunez and Rafa Silva were bright spots in what was a mediocre performance, but there's little Jorge Jesus can glean from this game. Arsenal aren't the force they once were, and Benfica did have the quality to offer much more than they did over the 180 minutes of this game.
Benfica were minutes away from a famous win, only to suffer heartbreak. It's an emotion Jesus is familiar with, and he knows how to bounce back. The league is long gone, but a domestic cup semifinal against Estoril ought to still present a way to salvage this season.