Gyökeres Double Fires Arsenal to 4–0 Rout of Atlético Madrid.
Viktor Gyökeres ended his goal drought in spectacular fashion- Phpt Credit ESPN sports
Viktor Gyökeres ended his goal drought in spectacular fashion, scoring twice as Arsenal cruised to a commanding 4–0 victory over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.
After both sides struck the crossbar in the first half, Gabriel Magalhães opened the floodgates with a powerful header the first of four goals scored within 14 breathtaking minutes after the interval. Gabriel Martinelli doubled the lead in the 64th minute before Gyökeres struck twice in quick succession (67th and 70th minutes), leaving Diego Simeone’s side stunned and outclassed.
Atlético, who had scored seven goals in their first two Champions League fixtures, rarely troubled Arsenal’s defense. Mikel Arteta’s men, by contrast, secured their third consecutive clean sheet in Europe and their fourth straight shutout in all competitions, having conceded just three goals in 12 matches this season.
The victory puts Arsenal alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the top of the group table, each boasting a perfect nine points from three matches well on course for the knockout stages.
Arteta’s side came flying out of the blocks and nearly took the lead inside five minutes. Eberechi Eze, lively throughout, carved out space on the edge of the area and saw his deflected effort clip the crossbar before Declan Rice volleyed the rebound over.
Eze was again in the thick of the action 15 minutes later, threading a clever through ball to Bukayo Saka, whose attempted chip over Jan Oblak was narrowly cleared away.
At the other end, David Raya nearly gifted Atlético an opener after delaying his clearance by the corner flag, but Julián Álvarez’s speculative strike drifted just wide.
Arsenal thought they had broken the deadlock when Martinelli turned in Saka’s low cross before halftime, only for the flag to go up for offside. Moments later, Atlético hit the bar themselves through Álvarez, whose curling effort had Raya beaten.
Then came Arsenal’s onslaught. Martinelli earned a free-kick on the flank, and Rice’s pinpoint delivery found an unmarked Gabriel, who powered home the opener.
Just minutes later, Myles Lewis-Skelly, one of Arsenal’s brightest young prospects, drove forward from midfield, gliding past four Atlético players before finding Martinelli. The Brazilian made no mistake, curling his shot into the far corner for 2–0.
Three minutes later, Gyökeres desperate to end a 38-day goal drought got his reward. When Eze’s volley ricocheted off a defender, the Swedish striker reacted sharply to guide the ball home via a deflection off Dávid Hancko.
He wasn’t done yet. From a Rice corner, Gabriel’s header was bundled in off Gyökeres’ stomach to complete a two-goal blitz in three minutes and cap Arsenal’s most ruthless European display of the season.
Simeone looked deflated on the touchline as Arteta’s side recorded their sixth consecutive victory in a season that continues to build momentum. Arsenal’s balance of defensive solidity, midfield control, and attacking depth is beginning to mirror the traits of a team ready to challenge for both domestic and European glory.
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