Declan Rice admits Arsenal need to find their Champions League “savvy” as Mikel Arteta’s young side continue to learn on the job.
The Gunners lost the first leg of their last 16 tie away to Porto on Wednesday night as Galeno’s brilliant last-gasp strike earned the hosts a 1-0 victory.
It extends Arsenal’s wretched record in Champions League knockout games – they still have not won outside of the group stages since 2010, having exited at the last-16 stage for seven consecutive years under Arsene Wenger.
Arteta secured a return to the top table of European football for the first time since 2017 but Arsenal’s hopes of progressing further suffered a blow at the Estadio do Dragao.
From their starting XI in Porto, only Kai Havertz had any previous experience of playing a Champions League knockout game and Rice conceded that lack of nous cost Arsenal late on.
“I think the last minute is probably a bit of inexperience,” he replied when asked if Arteta’s young team were on a steep learning curve.
“Just probably having a bit more savviness, in terms of it’s the 93rd minute, you look up at the clock, it’s 0-0, we gave a ball away on the edge of our box twice and then he bends one in the top bins.
“So we have got to have a bit of savviness to see out the game, because if you can’t win, definitely don’t lose – especially in a knockout game. But look, we are still positive. It is half-time in a two-leg tie and we will be ready for the next leg.
“You look at our team, we are such a young group. Some of us have not played in the Champions League before, so it is all about learning on the job.
“But we have to play better than we did tonight. They made it really tough, but in the second leg we will be ready to go and give it everything.
“I think it is good to have nerves – you get that experience and you need that to play in the biggest games. Whether there is nerves or no nerves, I think these are the type of games we need to learn from on the way and it is going to make us better overall.”
While the disappointment from the defeat will linger until the return leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 12, Rice knows Arsenal cannot suffer a Champions League hangover.
They are back in Premier League action as they host Newcastle on Saturday.
“Look, we have lost games this year and drawn games, and I have seen the changing room after and it’s been really bad when we have lost and drawn games,” added England international Rice.
“But here, we have just lost, but in there is a real positivity around the group at the minute, around the club.
“We have had such a good start to 2024, I think we take the positives from this game tonight, but also see where we can improve. It is going to be a big game in two weeks’ time and we will be ready for it.”
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: Rice and Grealish hand Carsley winning start
Lee Carsley made a winning start to his England tenure with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League, helped by two players who previously represented the hosts.
Both goals came in the first half on Saturday, with Declan Rice's powerful finish followed up by Jack Grealish's sweeping effort to hand England their first win in Dublin in over 60 years.
Jayson Molumby's early chance offered the visitors a warning, but Harry Kane headed over as Carsley's team swiftly took control.
The England captain, now one shy of his 100th Three Lions cap, was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher moments later inside the box after a fast break from an Ireland free-kick.
But England had the lead after 11 minutes. Having made three senior appearances for Ireland, Rice pledged his international future to the Three Lions in 2019, and it was the Arsenal midfielder who opened the scoring with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.
Rice turned provider for another who switched their international allegiance, as Grealish rounded off a fine move to double England's advantage 15 minutes later.
Ireland improved after the interval, though rarely came close to truly testing Jordan Pickford.
Bukayo Saka went close to adding further gloss to an impressive display in added time, only to see his effort repelled by Kelleher with substitute Eberechi Eze firing over on the rebound.
Data Debrief: Rice and Grealish haunt Ireland
In a game where all the focus was placed on former Ireland international Carsley, it would be two of the Republic's former hopes that stole the headlines in Dublin.
Rice's goal at the Aviva Stadium came six years and 97 days after making his only previous appearance there for Ireland against the United States in June 2018.
He completed 88 of his 93 passes and ended with an accuracy rate of 94.6%, a total only bettered by Pickford (96.3%) of those that started the game.
Grealish, meanwhile, netted his third goal for England, and his first as a starter. While he was on the pitch, no England player won more fouls (four) or created more chances (two) than him.
Bompastor promises more hard yards after Chelsea thrash Feyenoord
Sonia Bompastor has promised there is more hard work to come for her Chelsea players after they readied themselves for the Women's Super League season with a 9-0 hammering of Feyenoord.
Bompastor marked her first match at Kingsmeadow in fantastic fashion on Saturday, with the WSL champions proving far too good for their Dutch opponents.
Sandy Baltimore and Mayra Ramirez struck inside the opening 10 minutes, with Feyenoord's Celainy Obispo subsequently seeing red.
Chelsea were 4-0 up by the break thanks to finishes from Sjoeke Nusken and Wieke Kaptein, with Millie Bright heading home a fifth after the restart.
Substitute Aggie Beever-Jones netted a second-half hat-trick, with Maika Hamano also getting in on the act in a resounding victory.
Chelsea face Aston Villa in their WSL opener on September 20, and former Lyon coach Bompastor says the task is now to be fully prepared for that fixture.
"I can't wait to get to that moment, only two weeks now," she said.
"We are really excited to get to that moment, but we still have two weeks to work and we’ll make sure we work really hard to be ready for that first game.
"We had two main goals – the first one was defensively, we wanted to have high pressure, and be strong in transition. With the ball, I wanted them to play in a nice way, in an attacking style, so with nine goals, it was definitely good and it’s what we had been working on in training.
"I really liked the stadium, the atmosphere. It’s really cool, especially when you win and score a lot of goals. I hope all the games this season, they’ll have the same fun. We’ll keep working really hard to make sure they come and enjoy our games."
Ancelotti to continue coaching 'until the fire dies down'
Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to call time on his illustrious coaching career, saying he will only leave the sport when he no longer feels nervous ahead of games.
Ancelotti is one of the most decorated coaches in European football history, with his five Champions League titles as a manager being a competition record.
The fifth of those triumphs came with Real Madrid in June as they beat Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley Stadium, having progressed through a series of dramatic ties earlier in the tournament.
Los Blancos overcame Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals despite facing 33 shots on their goal in the second leg, a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
They then salvaged victory from the jaws of defeat in the last four as Joselu scored twice – in the 88th and 91st minutes – to stun Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ancelotti so often appears an island of calm amid the chaos, but the Italian insists he still gets nervous ahead of big games and will do so until the day he retires.
"A life without pressure or a little stress does not exist. Too much stress, no, but a little is fuel. The day I don't have excitement before a match is the day I have to stop," he said at the Mexico Siglo XXI event.
"Before a match there is worry, there is a negative feeling thinking that it will not go well, that they will score a goal… When the match starts, everything stops.
"So, you have to look for calm to handle the situations of the game. I will continue coaching until the fire I have for football dies down.
"Some great things have happened in my life, some difficult moments. My life has been normal. I have been lucky to have a job that is my passion. I am grateful to football for giving me that opportunity.
"I still get nervous before a match, I feel pressure, and as long as that doesn't change I will continue here. I see myself coaching for a long time, yes."
Ancelotti is known for involving his big-name players in his decision-making, and he says that collaborative approach has been key to his success.
"It is very difficult to explain what a leader should be like. It is much more important to convince than to impose your opinion on them," he added.
"A leader must have the ability to listen to those who work with you. They can always give you ideas that can help you.
"It is important to listen and not think that you know everything because you are the boss. You can always learn."
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