Rio Ferdinand evaluates Arsenal's UEFA Champions League hopes after thrilling Porto win
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand reckons Arsenal will be a big threat to any team in the UEFA Champions League following their win over Porto on March 12.
The Gunners beat Porto on penalties in the Round of 16 on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals of the competition after 14 years. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Leandro Trossard restored parity on aggregate in the 41st minute for the north London side at the Emirates.
Both sides sparred for 90 minutes but failed to score, a trend which continued in extra time as well. Arsenal then beat Porto 4-2 in the penalty shootout as David Raya saved two penalties.
After the game, Ferdinand said that the Gunners can challenge any team in the Champions League this season. He said on TNT Sports (via Metro):
"I think they are genuinely a hard, hard opposition for anybody left in the competition, I don’t care who it is.
"Manchester City, over two legs, it is a difficult game for them because Arsenal are a team that can match most teams left in this competition. Whether they beat them, I think they can go close to anyone at the moment."
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain have also qualified for the quarter-finals. One of Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven and one of Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid will join the other six teams.
Mikel Arteta on impact of UCL quarter-finals qualification on Arsenal
The Gunners qualified for the Champions League after seven years last season, finishing second in the Premier League. They topped their group and have now reached the quarter-finals after 14 years, having beaten Porto on penalties.
After the game, manager Mikel Arteta was asked how big a win this is for his current squad and the club as a whole. He replied (via Arsenal.com):
"It’s another big step, especially as a club. The last seven years we haven’t been in this competition, the last 14 we haven’t been where we are today. That’s the difficulty of it, the best thing is we are not satisfied, we want more and we are going to try to go through the next round for sure."
The Champions League quarter-finals draw will take place on Friday, March 15.
Meanwhile, this was Arsenal's final game before the international break. They will return to action against Manchester City at the Etihad in the Premier League on March 31.
The Gunners lead the league table, sitting above Liverpool on goal difference and above City by just one point.