Gyökeres Shines as Arsenal Edges Past Slavia Prague in Tense Encounter

Arsenal continues their winning streak on the road, and this time, it was Viktor Gyökeres who made the difference in a nervy match against Slavia Prague. The Czech side matched the longest winless run in European competition history with this defeat, now standing at 23 games. Meanwhile, Arsenal is riding high, remaining unbeaten in their last ten European away games. After a shaky performance against Fleetwood last week, Arsenal came out strong, with Noni Madueke scoring early thanks to a brilliant assist from Gyökeres. That marked Gyökeres's third assist in his last five outings, and his performance was a welcome boost for Mikel Arteta as they looked to maintain momentum. Slavia Prague, who last tasted victory in this tournament back in 2007, were aware of their daunting task. After suffering a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at home a year ago, the Czech champions' hopes of breaking their winless streak seemed slim. Although Fleetwood's recent upset over Arsenal gave them a glimmer of hope, Arteta’s squad has developed a ruthless streak away from home. They haven’t lost an away game in Europe since May 2025. Following their triumphant outing at Anfield that put them at the top of the Premier League, Arteta made six changes to his lineup. Martín Zubimendi was given just his third start of a tough season, while Gyökeres took charge of the front line for the third time in four matches. Last season, Gyökeres was the team's top scorer with 21 goals, but he started this match struggling with form. However, he showcased his quality with a perfectly placed assist for Madueke’s opener in the eighth minute. A long ball from David Raya should have been dealt with by the Slavia defense, but they allowed it to bounce, and Gyökeres capitalized. He beat his defender, chested the ball, and laid it off for Madueke to slot home. Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, who had a standout performance last year, had several chances to increase the lead but couldn’t find the net. The best opportunity came from Madueke’s assist that Merino couldn’t convert, as Slavia’s goalkeeper Nazar Domchak denied him. With Martin Ødegaard watching from the sidelines, Arsenal struggled to find their usual attacking rhythm. However, Slavia was simply outclassed, and the game seemed to tilt in Arsenal's favor when Gyökeres scored a stunning goal just before halftime. A quick one-two with Merino led to a curled shot that found the back of the net, though a clearance from Michal Sadilek prevented further damage before the break. Slavia came out with renewed vigor in the second half, making a tactical change by bringing on their record signing, Ange N’Guessan. They almost earned a penalty when Emmanuel Ayaosi was brought down, but Arsenal managed to keep their composure, even as they struggled to regain their first-half dominance. The last 20 minutes brought a flurry of action as Slavia pressed for a goal. David Jurasek’s long-range effort nearly found the target, only to be deflected wide. From the resulting corner, Gabriel Magalhães made a crucial defensive play, clearing two goal-bound headers off the line and celebrating with a huge fist pump. Slavia’s Mikulas Konecny wasted a golden opportunity to score with a header, and goalkeeper David Raya came up big with a spectacular save to deny Oskar Kubiak. Finally, in the dying moments of the match, Slavia broke through with a goal from Wiktor Nowak. As the clock wound down, Arsenal faced some anxious moments, but Arteta breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle blew, sealing a hard-earned victory.