Champions League: Arsenal crushes Lens 6-0 to reach last 16
Arsenal has 12 points with four wins from its five games, while Lens, which sits third with five points, can no longer reach the last 16.
LONDON: Arsenal blasted its way into the last 16 of the Champions League on a freezing night at The Emirates on Wednesday, crushing RC Lens 6-0 with goals from six different players and ensuring that it qualifies top of Group B.
The home side, back in European football’s biggest club competition for the first time in seven years, needed one point to secure itself a place in the knockout stages of the competition. Instead, it swept Lens off the park to secure all three.
Arsenal has 12 points with four wins from its five games, while Lens, which sits third with five points, can no longer reach the last 16.
Arsenal took the lead in the 13th minute with a scrappy goal from Kai Havertz, its late-goal hero, at Brentford on Saturday. As Lens failed to clear its lines, the ball fell to Gabriel Jesus on the edge of the box, and the Brazilian laid it off to Havertz, who prodded it in off Lens keeper Brice Samba from close range.
Jesus doubled the lead eight minutes later, collecting a sideways pass on the edge of the box from Bukayo Saka with his left foot, deftly switching back to his right to send the defenders the wrong way, and burying his shot in the corner.
Saka drove the knife in with a third in the 23rd minute, bundling in a weakly parried ball with his body after a shot by Gabriel Martinelli, who twisted that knife four minutes later with a curled shot that left Lens goalkeeper Samba lunging at thin air.
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard made it five with the last kick of the first half, volleying in a long cross from Takehiro Tomiyasu charging down the right wing.
Galatasaray fights back to deny Man UnitedManchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana made two bad errors as host Galatasaray fought back from two goals down to earn a thrilling 3-3 draw and leave the English side’s hopes of reaching the last 16 in serious doubt.
Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay scored for United in a breathless game, but Erik ten Hag’s team remained bottom of Group A on four points from five matches.
The visitor roared into an early 2-0 lead through Garnacho, fresh from his spectacular overhead strike at Everton, and a stunning shot by Fernandes before Hakim Ziyech pulled one back from a free kick following an error by Onana.
McTominay put United 3-1 up soon after halftime, but its cushion was shortlived as Ziyech slotted home another free kick under the arm of Onana, and Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu equalised for Galatasaray in the 71st minute.
Results: Arsenal 6 (Havertz 13, Jesus 21, Saka 23, Martinelli 27, Odegaard 45+1, Jorginho 86-pen) bt Lens 0; Galatasaray 3 (Ziyech 29, 62; Akturkoglu 71) drew with Manchester United 3 (Garnacho 11, Fernandes 18, McTominay 55); Real Madrid 4 (Rodrygo 11, Bellingham 22, Paz 84, Joselu 90+4) bt Napoli 2 (Simeone 9, Anguissa 47)
