UCL Recap: Arsenal Overcome Bilbao, Tottenham Edge Villarreal

Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal

아스날 began their Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Athletic Club in Bilbao. Substitute Gabriel Martinelli made an instant impact, scoring just 36 seconds after coming on in the 71st minute, latching onto a pass from Leandro Trossard.

The Brazilian then turned provider late on, beating his marker before setting up Trossard, who squeezed in the second goal in the 86th minute.

Athletic Club, returning to the competition for the first time since 2014-15, started strongly, fuelled by a passionate home crowd. Alejandro Berenguer caused problems early on, and Arsenal were pinned back for much of the opening period. The Gunners’ best chance of the first half fell to Viktor Gyokeres, who headed wide from close range.

Gyokeres later played on with a bandaged head after a collision with team-mate Gabriel, highlighting the physical nature of the match.

Mikel Arteta’s side lacked fluency before the introductions of Martinelli and Trossard, but their quality off the bench ultimately proved decisive. Arsenal’s £250m summer investment once again highlighted their squad depth, with five new signings starting and more options available in reserve.

Despite the uneven performance, Arsenal came away with three points, a clean sheet, and proof that Martinelli remains a vital weapon in their attack.

Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal

Tottenham marked their Champions League return with a narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal, secured by an early blunder from visiting goalkeeper Luiz Junior.

In just the fourth minute, Junior misjudged a routine cross from Lucas Bergvall and fumbled the ball into his own net, gifting Spurs the perfect start under debuting European boss Thomas Frank.

The visitors grew into the game, with Nicolas Pepe denied by Micky van de Ven’s timely intervention and Tajon Buchanan dragging a shot wide. Tottenham also went close when Pape Matar Sarr forced a sharp save from Junior, while Richarlison wasted a second-half header.

Villarreal applied heavy pressure after the break, but Spurs’ defence stood firm. Van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur were particularly strong as the hosts clung onto their advantage.

The match also saw former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey return to action for Villarreal, days before appearing in court on multiple charges in London.

Though Tottenham’s performance lacked composure at times, the result extended their unbeaten home run in UEFA competitions to 21 matches, ensuring a strong start to life back in Europe’s elite competition.