Arsenal Beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in Champions League First Leg

Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday night, with Kai Havertz scoring a stoppage-time winner to provide a much-needed boost after recent setbacks. The match at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon ended a run of two defeats for Mikel Arteta's side, positioning them favorably ahead of the return leg at the Emirates Stadium next week.

Havertz's goal came from a precise dinked pass by substitute Gabriel Martinelli, capping a gritty performance from the visitors. Arsenal, who made eight changes to the lineup that lost 2-1 to Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinals the previous weekend, started conservatively to neutralize Sporting's strong home record of 16 consecutive wins across all competitions. David Raya returned in goal after missing the prior two matches and produced several key saves, including a fingertip deflection onto the crossbar from Maximiliano Araujo early on and a double stop against Geny Catamo and Luis Suarez late in the game.

The win highlighted Arsenal's squad depth amid ongoing injury concerns. Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, both sidelined by issues sustained on international...