UCL: Saka’s brace leads Arsenal to victory against Monaco as City lose again

Bukayo Saka scored once in each half to lead Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Monaco in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) encounter at the Emirate Stadium on Wednesday night.

The England international was once again the catalyst for the home side in a match they dominated from start to finish and should have won by a wider goal margin.

Gabriel Jesus missed a sitter for the home side but was involved as Saka converted Myles Lewis-Skelly’s pass to put Arsenal in the lead going into the break.

Both sides squandered chances after the interval, but Saka again showed up to ensure no regret for Arsenal in the 78th minute, pouncing on the goalkeeper’s mistake to double his tally and the team’s advantage.

Kai Havertz came on to complete the scoring on the night, sealing a win that moves Arsenal closer to round-of-16 qualification. With 13 points from six matches, the Gunners are third on the log.

However, it was a sour night for Manchester City, as they lost 2-0 to Juventus. Goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie condemned the Cityzens to the third UCL match without a win.

The defeat leaves the team with just eight points from six matches. City are 22nd on the log, three spots away from potential elimination from the competition, with two games to play.

Barcelona, however, triumphed 3-2 away to Borussia Dortmund, with Ferran Torres scoring the winner for the Blaugrana.

Elsewhere, Samuel Chukwueze, a Super Eagles of Nigeria international, was a first-half substitute in AC Milan’s 2-1 win over Red Star Belgrade, while Victor Olatunji was an unused substitute in his team, Sparta Prague’s 4-2 loss at Feyenoord.

RESULTS

Atletico Madrid 3-1 Slovan Liberec
Lille 3-2 Sturm Graz
Arsenal 3-0 Monaco
Benfica 0-0 Bologna
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona
Feyenoord 4-2 Sparta Prague
Juventus 2-0 Manchester City
AC Milan 2-1 Red Star Belgrade
Stuttgart 5-1 Young Boys