{"id":26379,"date":"2023-03-10T08:12:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T08:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/10\/europa-league-arsenal-draw-with-sporting-in-first-leg-thriller\/"},"modified":"2023-03-10T08:12:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T08:12:24","slug":"europa-league-arsenal-draw-with-sporting-in-first-leg-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/10\/europa-league-arsenal-draw-with-sporting-in-first-leg-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"Europa League:\u00a0Arsenal draw with Sporting in first-leg thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"

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William Saliba became the eighth different Arsenal player to score for the club in the Europa League this season
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Arsenal must \u201cimprove massively\u201d if they are to continue winning games, says manager Mikel Arteta after the Gunners were held by Sporting Lisbon in an entertaining Europa League last-16 first leg.<\/p>\n

France defender William Saliba put the Premier League leaders ahead with a towering header before Sporting took advantage of poor defending to score through Goncalo Inacio and Paulinho.<\/p>\n

An own goal by the hosts\u2019 Japanese midfielder Hidemasa Morita ensured Arsenal will start on level terms when the teams meet in the return leg at Emirates Stadium next Thursday (20:00 GMT).<\/p>\n

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However, Arteta was unimpressed his side had conceded two goals for the second successive game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true that it\u2019s something that we must improve massively if we want to keep winning games,\u201d said the Spaniard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe it\u2019s very difficult to get a positive result.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gave too many simple balls away. We need to defend our box much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an absorbing game in the Portuguese capital, Arsenal\u2019s first-half lead lasted just 12 minutes before Inacio nodded home the equaliser after hesitancy from keeper Matt Turner.<\/p>\n

Paulinho fired Sporting ahead from close range only for Arsenal to equalise through a wicked deflection off Morita.<\/p>\n

Both teams created numerous chances in a free-flowing encounter.<\/p>\n

Sporting\u2019s former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards was denied by Turner when the score was 1-1, while Paulinho wasted a great opportunity to make it 3-1.<\/p>\n

Arsenal had a chance to take a lead back to London but Fabio Vieira\u2019s header was kept out by Antonio Adan.<\/p>\n

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