Catch all the action from Arsenal’s visit to Club Brugge in the Champions League
Arsenal put in an impressive performance in Belgium, beating Club Brugge 3-0 to maintain their perfect Champions League record.
A first-half strike from Madueke set the tone before the winger added a second early in the second half, with Martinelli completing the scoring shortly after.
The visitors started strongly. Odegaard forced an early save from Van den Heuvel and Arsenal quickly created a series of openings.
Lewis-Skelly missed a shot which inadvertently set up Hincapie, whose improvised finish clipped the post. Moments later, Gyokeres saw a goal-bound header blocked.
Arsenal finally broke through midway through the half. Drifting centrally, Madueke led the retreating defense and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from distance which crashed under the crossbar and into the net.
Bruges responded well after conceding. Forbs led several attacks and some complex moves between Vanaken and Tzolis tested Arsenal.
Their best chance fell to Stankovic, who was sent clear but saw his weak effort saved by Raya. The goalkeeper denied the Serb again in added time, maintaining the 1-0 advantage at the break after a lively and balanced first half.
Arsenal light it up
Arsenal extended their advantage almost immediately after the restart. Working the play down the left, the visitors found space for Zubimendi to lift a cross to the far post, where Madueke arrived unmarked to power a header high into the net.
The hosts, however, continued to push. Raya handled Tzolis’ long-range efforts and controlled the tempo in moments when Brugge attempted to destabilize the Arsenal backline.
Brugge’s best opening of the half came when Furo struck powerfully from a tight angle, forcing Raya to parry into a dangerous area, but the rebound eluded Forbs at the crucial moment.
The Belgian champions also saw Meijer shoot narrowly wide after finding space on the left.
Moments later, Martinelli cut inside from the left and, from the edge of the area, curled a right-footed shot into the top corner.
The finish extended his club’s Champions League scoring streak to five consecutive matches and effectively settled the competition.
The final minutes saw Arsenal handle the game comfortably, although Brugge benefited from extended periods of possession. Jesus hit the crossbar with a rising effort, and Nwaneri forced a late save as the visitors continued to create chances on the break.
