© AFP
The first matches of the Champions League quarter-finals have ended. Perhaps the most notable match took place in Porto, where the local team "Porto" dramatically defeated the "Arsenal" team 1-0.
"Porto" did not play the most attractive game, as evidenced by the fact that the ball was only in play for 51.7% of the time. This is significantly the lowest indicator among all quarter-finals. For example, in the match between "Lazio" and "Bayern," the ball was in play for 66.9% of the time, according to Opta.
After the match, Mikel Arteta stated that the Portuguese team did not try to play, but their coach Sergio Conceicao had a clear response: "They wanted to play, we wanted to win."
Arteta comes from the school of Guardiola, the coach with the most titles in the world. They believe that the best way to beat the opponent is to have more ball possession, but it depends on the team and the players they have.
There was a difference of 40-60% in ball possession between us, which is not really scandalous. I wouldn't mind if the ratio was 30-70%, as long as we win. It all depends on how you behave when you have the ball, with the strategy to score goals," said S. Conceicao.
Before the match, "Arsenal" center-back Gabriel did not lack ambition, but faced with the hostile atmosphere of the "Porto" fans, the "Arsenal" players seemed quite intimidated. The return leg will take place in London in three weeks, with the other quarter-final matches happening in two weeks.
