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Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner - Source: Reuters -
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A hat-trick from Nicklas Bendtner helped Arsenal to a 5-0
thumping of Porto on Wednesday as they overturned a first-leg
deficit with nonchalant ease to reach the quarter-finals of the
Champions League.
Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue were also on target as Arsenal
completed a 6-2 aggregate victory to reach the last eight for the
third consecutive season.
Bendtner was guilty of a series of bad misses in the Premier League
win over Burnley at the weekend but he answered his critics in
style with a commanding performance to crown a dazzling display by
manager Arsene Wenger's side.
"It shows how quickly football can change," Wenger told Sky Sports.
"I hope it won't give him too much confidence now.
"But it's good for him especially after Saturday. I hope it will
give him the desire to work even harder."
Porto had never won a European fixture in England before but
Arsenal's poor record of overturning first-leg deficits gave the
Portuguese side hope of defending their 2-1 advantage.
Chilly night
That hope did not last long on a chilly north London night.
Injured Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas, whose midfield playmaking
role was filled superbly by Nasri, said in his programme notes he
was hoping Bendtner had saved his goals for Porto.
After 10 minutes the Danish striker duly obliged when he slotted
the ball into an empty net after keeper Helton had bravely denied
Andrei Arshavin who had been released by Nasri.
Arshavin's pace and trickery teed up Bendtner for his second on 25
minutes as Arsenal moved ahead on aggregate.
Porto enjoyed a brief spell of pressure early in the second half
but after Falcao failed to convert their best chance of the night,
normal service was resumed.
Two goals in four minutes just past the hour killed off the
visitors. After 63 minutes Nasri ran at pace into the Porto area
and dribbled past three defenders before planting a shot inside the
far post.
Then Arshavin carved Porto open and his reverse pass allowed Eboue
to skip around the despairing Helton and roll the ball into an
unguarded net.
Bendtner completed his hat-trick with virtually the last kick of
the game, firing a low penalty into the corner after Eboue was
brought down.
