© Reuters
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 8
Arsenal wins: 4
Draws: 1
Porto wins: 3
The last-16 battle at the Emirates in March 2024 marked the eighth Champions League battle between Porto and Arsenal, whose exceptional goalscoring exploits meant nothing in the first leg, and they were punished for their lack of guile right at the death of that one-goal loss.
Mere seconds after Galeno's exquisite curler nestled into the bottom corner, Porto rejoiced in beating Arsenal for the third time in their history, although all of those triumphs have come on home territory; it had been a completely different story for the Dragons in North London and was again so in leg two.
Indeed, Leandro Trossard's slick finish levelled the tie on aggregate, and even though Mikel Arteta's men could not find the coveted second in normal or extra time, their outfielders were perfect from the spot while David Raya saved from Wendell and Galeno to punch the Gunners' ticket to the last eight.
Prior to their gripping 2023-24 tie, Porto took a 2-1 lead to Arsenal for the second leg of their last-16 tie in the 2009-10 season, which Arsene Wenger's men overturned emphatically with a 5-0 win, where Nicklas Bendtner struck a hat-trick alongside efforts from Emmanuel Eboue and Samir Nasri, whose name is now best not mentioned inside the Emirates walls.
Before banishing their European curse in 2024, the five-goal pummelling of Porto marked the most recent time that they advanced beyond the last 16 of the Champions League, where they have consistently proven a class above Porto in North London.
The two clubs also clashed in the group stage of the 2008-09 and 2006-07 tournaments, the former of which saw Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor net braces in a 4-0 Arsenal home victory before Porto prevailed 2-0 on their own turf.
September 2006 saw the two outfits go head-to-head for the first time, and the Gunners had a Thierry Henry masterclass to thank for that 2-0 win, as the Frenchman registered both his final Champions League goal and assist (for Aleksandr Hleb) in Arsenal colours, before Porto dug in for a goalless draw a couple of months later.
Legendary Portuguese centre-back Pepe played in both of those 2006-07 battles and the 2023-24 last-16 tie - with a successful Real Madrid stint sandwiched in between - but the veteran could not prevent Arsenal from ending their knockout hoodoo in the latter.
Previous meetings
Mar 12, 2024: Arsenal(p) 1-0 Porto (Champions League Last 16)
Feb 21, 2024: Porto 1-0 Arsenal (Champions League Round of 16)
March 9, 2010: Arsenal 5-0 Porto (Champions League Round of 16)
February 17, 2010: Porto 2-1 Arsenal (Champions League Round of 16)
December 10, 2008: Porto 2-0 Arsenal (Champions League Group Stage)
September 30, 2008: Arsenal 4-0 Porto (Champions League Group Stage)
December 6, 2006: Porto 0-0 Arsenal (Champions League Group Stage)
September 26, 2006: Arsenal 2-0 Porto (Champions League Group Stage)
Ben Knapton
