Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal: Gyökeres and Madueke Secure Champions League Win

Arsenal survived a late scare to beat Slavia Prague 2-1 at the Fortuna Arena and extend their unbeaten start in the Champions League. Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres struck in a dominant first half, but the Gunners had to dig deep after the break as the hosts fought back and Wiktor Nowak’s stoppage-time goal set up a nervous finale.

Mikel Arteta made six changes from the side that had beaten Liverpool at Anfield, giving Gyökeres a rare start. The Swede made an immediate impact. In the ninth minute he held up David Raya’s long ball, turned his marker and slipped a precise pass into the path of Madueke. The winger raced clear and calmly slotted the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Nazar Domchak to open the scoring. Arsenal controlled the remainder of the half and doubled their lead in the 38th minute. Gyökeres exchanged passes with Mikel Merino on the edge of the box, cut inside a defender and curled a composed finish in off the far post.

Slavia emerged with far greater intensity after the interval and began to trouble the visitors. David Raya was forced into several important saves, including a brilliant full-stretch stop that diverted Oskar Kubiak’s header onto the post. Gabriel Magalhães also made a crucial goal-line clearance as the home side pressed. Their persistence was rewarded in the 90th minute when David Jurásek’s cross found Nowak, who turned the ball home from close range. Five minutes of added time followed, but Arsenal held firm to claim the three points.

The victory moved Arteta’s side to 10 points from four matches and into third place in the league phase, inside the automatic qualification places. It also extended their club-record unbeaten away run in the competition. For Slavia, the defeat equalled the longest winless streak in European Cup or Champions League history. While the second-half drop-off will concern Arteta, the quality of Gyökeres’ contribution and the resilience shown at the end ensured Arsenal continued their strong European campaign.