Arsenal dressing room reaction to Benfica Europa League win as Aubameyang scores brace
Arsenal v Benfica: Match in pictures
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Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed ‘everyone is happy’ after the club’s Europa League win over Benfica on Thursday night. The Gunners were given an almighty scare in Athens. However, they came from behind to reach the round of 16.
Arsenal took the lead through Aubameyang, who coolly slotted home after some wonderful work from Bukayo Saka.
Benfica then came roaring back, scoring twice to take control of the tie.
Arsenal, however, equalised through the magnificent Kieran Tierney – who thundered home from close range on his favoured left foot.
And Aubameyang then scored late on to send Arsenal through, breaking Benfica hearts in the process.
It was a huge performance from the Gabon international, who seems to be finding his best form after a troublesome start to the season.
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And, speaking after the game, he claimed ‘everyone was happy’.
“Everyone is happy tonight,” he said.
“This is what gives me power every day, take errors from the past and transform to strength.
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“The team showed a lot of character and we deserved the win.
“It was a hard game. What we showed tonight will be an example for the future.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown was full of praise for Aubameyang, naming him as one of three ‘characters’ from the match.
“That’s the sort of player that you want to breed. You want characters going forwards,” he said.
“Who are the players you can look at and say, ‘OK, cometh the hour, cometh the man’. We had three of them tonight.
“Aubameyang with the finish, Saka with the providing cross and Tierney started it with that goal, getting us back in the game.
“We’re having to learn quickly on our feet, but we might actually come out of it much stronger for having gone through this tonight.
“In the end, they showed a great deal of character.”
Known also urged Willian to learn from Saka, whose electric display was Arsenal’s biggest positive of the evening.
“He (Saka) asks questions though, this is what I want from Willian,” he said.
“Run with the ball and test yourself. It’s hard, it’s demanding, physically, to run at someone.
“Don’t just keep coming back and passing to someone else. We’ve brought you here to make a difference but Saka isn’t going to wait for anyone, he wants to ask questions and that’s why he keeps creating all these assists.
“We need it from both sides, and this might be the making of Willian, tonight. You say that about a player who is really senior.
“But he’s been a bit gloomy, it’s all down for him, but this is a big moment now. He’s just come on, he’s been a part of the success, and hopefully he can be a big part moving forward.”
Tierney was also hailed, with Keown adding: “He’s been immense, and you just saw the way he was waving his team on.
“That’s the sort of symbolism we want going forward. You want that player that wants to really drive the team on.
“Not going to stand back and let someone else do it, know he’s going to take charge of his own destiny.
“Really the course of history has changed there, in a moment, and you can do it. It’s in your own hands and he proved it there.
“He’s got to keep doing that and of course we’ve got to keep him fit.”
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