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Ethan Nwaneri scored on his Champions League debut as Arsenal beat Girona 2-1.
I'm not sure about you, but I'm beginning to run out of superlatives for Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri after his impressive performance against Girona in the Champions League.
Handed his debut by Mikel Arteta, Nwaneri was sublime from the outset, wreaking havoc down the flanks with his impressive runs and direct approach. Not to mention his blistering pace and ability to dribble past players with ease.
But while all of that is stock standard for the Hale End graduate, his goal, which gave the Gunners the lead was eerily similar to that of a fellow Hale Ender in Bukayo Saka.
Ethan picked up the ball, shifted inside, and drove towards the box before unleashing a vicious curling effort that Girona keeper Pau López was powerless to stop.
Moment made. Oh, and to top it off, he won Man of the Match honors. Not bad for a night's work in Europe's elite club competition.
“It’s one of the highest definitely because it's the Champions League, it's what I've loved and watched since I was young,” Nwaneri said via arsenal.com. “So to come here and win Man of the Match on my starting debut, It's a special feeling. I'm happy. Listening to the music was surreal, that's the moment I've lived for my whole life. The music was special to me, so that was great. It's crazy, life moves fast. But I'm happy to be here. This is where I've always wanted to be, so I'm grateful that I'm here.”
With Saka still injured and Mikel Arteta wanting to rotate his squad, Nwaneri was given the start, along with Raheem Sterling on the other flank, and Ethan was head and shoulders above the rest.
It has been great performance after great performance as he has delivered each and every time he's gotten an opportunity.
He was a constant problem for Girona all night before being withdrawn in the second half with a statement made.
“I’m really impressed," Arteta said of Nwaneri via arsenal.com. "Making his debut as a Champions League starter and scoring the goal that he scored, especially in a very important moment. His influence, his composure on the ball and how aggressive he is when he gets it, it’s impressive."
It appears that we have yet another star on our hands folks, and maybe a perfect foil to Bukayo, something the Gunners have been crying out for.