I didn’t even dream like this, says Arteta after Arsenal beat Lens 6-0

LONDON — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised his side after they romped into the knockout stages of the Champions League by sweeping Lens aside 6-0 in north London on Wednesday.

Arsenal’s 6-0 win was the biggest-ever victory by an English team against a French opponent in European competition.

“I didn’t even dream like this,” Arteta told reporters. “We had the chance to qualify today and be top of the group and I think we’ve done it in a really convincing way.

“The team from the beginning showed a lot of aggression and determination to go for the game. Everything happened in the right way in the first 30 minutes.”

Arsenal easily advanced to the Champions League knockout stages with a 6-0 victory against Lens at the Emirates. The Gunners were the first English team in the competition to score five goals in the first half of the match.

Prior to Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard joining in on the wild display, Kai Havertz opened the scoring. After dominating the first half, Mikel Arteta’s team scored a sixth goal from the penalty spot due to Jorginho.

After a dominating victory in front of their home supporters, they have officially topped Group B and will make it to the round of 16.

However, Arteta was convinced that his side had been showing a similar form at home for a while, and he welcomed the fact that six different players had got their names on the score sheet.

“The consistency that we’ve shown at home to not concede any goals and score lots is a really positive factor,” he said.

“Those players need to have those experiences and believe that we can do it against those opponents.”

PSV fightback ends Sevilla’s Champions League hopes

MADRID — Sevilla surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at home to PSV Eindhoven to crash out of the UEFA Champions League and leave the future of coach Diego Alonso hanging by a thread.

The side from the south of Spain produced arguably their best 45 minutes of football in the first half and were looking comfortable until Lucas Ocampos was sent off with around 25 minutes left, and their Dutch rivals produced a magnificent fightback to reach the competition’s last 16, reports Xinhua.

Sevilla looked hungry at the kick-off and took the lead in the 24th minute when Sergio Ramos headed in Ivan Rakitic’s curling free kick, and they thought they had doubled their lead just minutes later when Djibril Sow scored from close range after Dodi Lukebakio’s close-range shot, only for VAR to rule the goal out for an accidental, but clear handball.

Youssef En-Nesyri then hit the post with a header, but the Moroccan was on target at the start of the second half, latching onto a ball through the PSV defense and clipping the ball past Walter Benitez, who was slow to come off his line.

Sevilla were reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute after Ocampos was sent off for seeing two yellow cards in just four minutes, and PSV pulled a goal back just two minutes later when Ismael Saibari finished Sergino Dest’s cross in acrobatic style.

All of a sudden, Sevilla were under pressure, with Sow clearing off the line from Saibari and goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic cutting out two dangerous efforts from Joey Veerman.

Nemanja Gudelj put the ball into his own net in the 81st minute under pressure from Yorbe Vertessen, and with Sevilla fans leaving their seats ahead of time, Ricardo Pepi completed an incredible fightback from PSV in the second minute of injury time with a close-range header.

To add insult to injury, Sevilla midfielder Fernando was sent off after the final whistle and will miss the visit to play Lens, where Sevilla must win in order to transfer to the Europa League knockout phase.

Copenhagen hold wasteful Bayern in UEFA Champions League

BERLIN — Bayern Munich remain unbeaten after sharing the spoils with stubborn visitors Copenhagen in a 0-0 stalemate on Wednesday.

Already assured of progression to the knockout stages before the game had begun, Bayern dominated possession from the start and came close with 13 minutes gone when Mathys Tel pulled wide from a tight angle from Kingsley Coman’s cutback, reports Xinhua.

The Danish side also created a scoring opportunity through Roony Bardghji, who curled the ball wide of Manuel Neuer’s right hand in the 27th minute.

Thomas Muller had the chance to break the deadlock on the half-hour mark, but Kamil Grabara was on guard to save the dangerous close-range header.

Copenhagen started the second half brightly and missed their second big chance as Diogo Goncalves lacked in accuracy from inside the box.

Bayern gained the upper hand as the match progressed, but Grabara’s diving save denied Harry Kane’s effort from distance in the 68th minute.

Bayern kept Copenhagen’s goalkeeper busy as the Pole had to tip Leroy Sane’s free kick over the crossbar five minutes later.

The record German champions remained on the front foot, while the Danes’ defense stood firm to secure a vital point on the road.

Thomas Tuchel’s side survived a late scare as Neuer had to pull off a double save in the dying minutes.

With the result, Bayern remain top of Group A, followed by Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Manchester United.

“As an offensively-minded player, I cannot be happy with the performance and the result. Copenhagen defended deep, but we lacked in ideas to overcome their well-positioned defense,” said Muller.

“We struggled to keep the pace high and to make the most of our chances. Copenhagen defended very well. We take the point and move on to the next match,” commented Tuchel.

Also read: Bayern down stubborn Galatasaray to maintain perfect record in Champions League