Arsenal edge stubborn Slavia in Champions League

Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres (2nd R) celebrates scoring the 0-2 goal with his teammates during the UEFA Champions League football match between Slavia Prague and Arsenal FC in Prague on November 4, 2026. (Photo) Updated on: 05 Nov 2026, 6:35 am 2 min read PRAGUE: Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres scored in the first half to hand Arsenal a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Arsenal got back to winning ways in Europe after a 2-2 draw at Bayern last month, reaching 10 points from four Champions League games so far, while Slavia have a single point in the standings. "We have to value the fact that it's very difficult to win away from home.

We've done it against a really tough opponent, as we expected," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The Premier League champions were quick to take control of the game in chilly conditions in the Czech capital.

Madueke reaped the rewards on nine minutes. Gyokeres controlled David Raya's long clearance with his chest and passed the ball instinctively to Madueke sprinting behind him down the right flank.

Madueke left the Slavia back four behind him with ease and beat diving Ukrainian teenager Nazar Domchak in the Slavia goal with a low shot. Gyokeres, one of six changes in Mikel Arteta's starting line-up from Sunday's 1-0 win at Liverpool, made it 2-0 on 38 minutes.

He beat Domchak with a neat shot off the far post after a one-two with Mikel Merino on the edge of the Slavia box. 'Far from our standards' Czech champions Slavia were sluggish throughout the first half, producing a single chance when skipper Tomas Holes fired wide from inside the box.

But they stepped up their pace considerably in the second half to stave off a repeat of a 3-0 home loss to the Gunners in the competition exactly a year ago. Slavia's Polish midfielder Oskar Kubiak forced a diving save from Raya seconds into the second half.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Raya cleared two headers off the goalline in quick succession with 15 minutes to go, while David Zima fired over the bar. Raya then forced a Kubiak header onto the post.

Slavia scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute when David Jurasek's cross bounced through the Arsenal defence and Wiktor Nowak blasted the ball into the net from close range. It should have been three, four or five.