Arsenal Beat Bayer Leverkusen to Seal Champions League Quarter‑Final Spot
Sports Updated: 18 March 2026 08:21 EAT
Arsenal booked their place in the UEFA Champions League quarter‑finals with a commanding 2–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, completing a 3–1 aggregate win over the German side.
The Gunners took control of the tie in the first half when Eberechi Eze unleashed a thunderous strike in the 36th minute, giving the home crowd something to roar about and putting Arsenal firmly in the driving seat.
Leverkusen, who had held Arsenal to a 1–1 draw in the first leg in Germany, looked to respond but struggled to create clear chances against a disciplined Arsenal backline that limited their visitors’ attacking threat.
As the second half unfolded, Arsenal continued to press for a second goal, and they found it in the 63rd minute through Declan Rice, who arrowed a brilliant strike beyond the reach of the Leverkusen goalkeeper to double the lead and effectively end the tie.
The Ligue 1 outfit though would have been cautious after their first‑leg exit in the BayArena, where Robert Andrich’s early second‑half goal had been cancelled out by Kai Havertz’s late penalty for Arsenal, maintaining a precarious 1–1 balance ahead of this return fixture.
Arsenal’s defence was resolute throughout the night, with goalkeeper David Raya and his back four keeping a clean sheet to ensure Leverkusen stayed goalless over 180 minutes of football in this round of 16 tie.
Leverkusen rarely threatened the Arsenal goal, their best moments coming from sporadic long‑range efforts and set‑pieces that were comfortably dealt with by the hosts’ defence.
The win sends Arsenal into the Champions League quarter‑finals, where they will face the winners of the Sporting CP tie, as the club continues its strong European run this season.
For Leverkusen, the defeat marks an end to their European journey this season, with the Bundesliga outfit now focusing on domestic competitions after a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful bid to oust the Premier League giants.
Arteta on the Win: “I'm very happy with the performance and the manner that we handled the game emotionally because in the first half we put so much into it.
“It should have been two or three, the keeper kept them in the game and then we needed a magic moment from Ebs to score an outstanding goal and decide to lead the way to the quarter-finals. We've seen in training a lot of actions like this but at the end he's here to deliver those moments when it matters and it matters like today. He's growing, I think he's now starting to show what he's capable of and now we just need consistency from him.”
Arteta on Rice: “I think he was immense today, The performance that he put in, considering the amount of games and minutes that he's playing in, I think he was outstanding. He really led the team in various ways and it's a joy to have him and today he was decisive again.”
Arteta on reaching consecutive seasons in Quarters: “It's really difficult to achieve that, so the players deserve a lot of credit for that and especially with the schedule that we have now in the Premier League and all the competitions. I think it's a context that is very, very, very difficult, but I'm very pleased and I think we deserve to be there.”
Arteta On facing Sporting: “First enjoy tonight, have a nice dinner and tomorrow we start to prepare the game against City at Wembley with a big enthusiasm and positivity to want to achieve the first goal of the season.
“We need Emirates Stadium at Wembley. So, everybody has to turn up and bring their energy, their belief and the conviction that we're going to do it.”
John Terry on Arsenal: "It's ridiculous to say there should be an asterisk on Arsenal if they win the Premier League, Chelsea won their first Champions League thanks to a corner kick goal from Drogba, we can't eliminate set pieces from the game and Arsenal has learned to use them correctly and is the best team currently."
"I scored many set-piece goals that helped us win a lot during my time as a player, let's not underestimate the wonderful things Arsenal are doing."
Tags: Arsenal Arsenal Chef Arsenal Fc Bayer Leverkusen Champions League Mikel Arteta Signs Media Kenya Limited Signsmedia Signstvkenya Uefa Uefa Champions League
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FELIX MAKONA
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