At a Glance:
- The Portuguese media reacted to Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres’ showing against Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final.
- Gyokeres took one shot in 56 minutes against Sporting.
- Mikel Arteta took the Swede off and brought on Kai Havertz.
Despite Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against Sporting CP, Viktor Gyokeres would have been delighted to witness his side book a place into the Champions League semi-finals.
Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, a contest in which the Swedish international will be looking to score after failing to get on the scoresheet against his former clubs across both legs.
Gyokeres struggled against Sporting, with the 27-year-old cutting an isolated figure up top, which has been the case far too many times since his move to North London.
The former Coventry City goalscorer would have been raring to make a statement against Rui Borges’ side but the Primeira Liga side managed to keep him quiet in both games.
- READ MORE: Raphinha has predicted Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid in potential Champions League semi-final
Portuguese media slam Viktor Gyokeres after Arsenal vs Sporting CP
Ahead of the contest, Eberechi Eze praised Gyokeres’ never-say-die attitude and admitted that it is “inspiring” to witness him leave it all out on the pitch.
However, the Emirates faithful would have been hoping that their star striker had a night to remember in front of goal ahead of the Gunners’ potential Premier League title decider against Manchester City.
The Portuguese media were far from kind about Gyokeres’ showing as well, with A Bola claiming that he was pocketed by Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio on a night where the hosts accumulated an xG (Expected Goals) of 0.78.
Arsenal (0.78) 0-0 (0.33) Sporting CP
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) April 15, 2026
“Neither Viktor nor, much less, Gyokeres set foot in the Emirates. The Swede, in those almost 56 minutes, simply acted as a fourth central defender for Sporting, alongside [Eduardo] Quaresma, Diomande and Inacio. Nobody needed to put him in their pocket; he simply didn’t appear.”
Mais Futebol also pinpointed how anonymous the Stockholm-born marksman was against Sporting, as they wrote: “Look at him now! He was practically missing in action in Arsenal’s attack, confirming that he’s not the same player who dazzled Alvalade in the last two years. In [around] 57 minutes, he didn’t have a single shot on target against Rui Silva’s goal, and was eventually substituted early and unsurprisingly by [Kai] Havertz. Where is the Masked Man now?”
Viktor Gyokeres stats in Arsenal vs Sporting
It is difficult to disagree with the aforementioned outlets as Sporting managed to tame Gyokeres and Mikel Arteta’s decision to take him off with more than half an hour on the clock summed up his night.
Even the statistics exemplify just how much Arsenal’s number 14 struggled to impose himself on Wednesday night.
| Viktor Gyokeres’ stats vs Sporting CP | |
| Minutes played | 56 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Touches | 14 |
| Touches in opposition box | 2 |
| xG + xA | 0.2 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
With Gyokeres taking just one shot alongside a mere two out of 14 touches in the opposition box and still going on to miss a single big chance sums up his woes against Sporting.
Ahead of Arsenal’s next game against Manchester City, Mikel Arteta will have to decide whether to persist with an out-of-sorts Gyokeres as his lone frontman or start Havertz instead.
