UCL: Eze, Rice fire Arsenal into UCL quarter-finals with win over Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a comfortable victory over Bayer Leverkusen, thanks to goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice, Sport360NG reports.

The Gunners will face Sporting, who staged a remarkable comeback to beat Bodo/Glimt.

The first leg had ended 1-1 after Kai Havertz’s late penalty for Leverkusen, but Arsenal dominated from the outset at the Emirates Stadium. Gabriel twice tested Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich from corners before Eze broke the deadlock, controlling the ball on the edge of the area and unleashing a powerful strike high into the net, his first goal in Europe’s premier club competition.

Declan Rice wrapped up the tie in the second half, calmly slotting home after running onto a clearance. With the game secured, Mikel Arteta was able to rest key players ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup Final clash against Manchester City on Sunday.

This victory boosts Arsenal’s confidence ahead of their first chance at silverware this season and continues their impressive home record under Arteta, with 14 wins in 17 Champions League games at the Emirates. Eze’s emergence as a confident number 10, especially in the absence of captain Martin Ødegaard, adds to Arsenal’s momentum as they chase multiple trophies this season.

Next Fixtures:

Arsenal vs Manchester City – Carabao Cup Final, Sunday at Wembley (16:30 GMT)

Bayer Leverkusen vs Heidenheim – Bundesliga, Saturday (14:30 GMT)