Veteran defender Sergio Ramos admits Sevilla were undone by a ‘great goal’ from Gabriel Jesus as Arsenal secured three hard-earned Champions League points on Spanish soil.
He may not be the most prolific of centre-forwards but, when he is on it – and he certainly was at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan – Gabriel Jesus takes some stopping.
The Arsenal forward’s assist to set up Gabriel Martinelli’s opener late in the first half was one some of Brazil’s greatest playmakers would have been proud of, spinning away before threading an inch-perfect through ball in behind a high Sevilla backline.
Jesus then went from provider to finisher, curling home beautifully when cutting in from the left.
Gabriel Jesus shines as Arsenal beat Sevilla
“In the end, the Champions League has those small details. Maybe we were penalised for that goal before the break, which emotionally I think hurt the team,” Ramos, a four-time winner of the competition with Real Madrid, says in quotes reported by The Metro.
“We conceded a great goal from Jesus and, from there, I think the team was pushing. They continued to show that character. We scored the first (goal, from Nemanja Gudelj), we tried to go for the second, but well, in the end, as we have said, it’s the small details.”
A hamstring injury which eventually forced Jesus off – Mikel Arteta admitting that the news was far from ‘good’ at full-time – may have taken some of the shine of an excellent win on the road, but The Gunnars have taken one giant stride towards securing Champions League knock-out football in the spring with six points out of a possible nine.
And Ramos, who has consistently gone head-to-head with the world’s best teams over the last decade or so, has no doubt that Arsenal belong on such a stage.
‘Not easy’
“It is true that it is difficult not to see a difference before we played the teams that, for me, currently play the best (football) in Europe,” Ramos adds.
“And playing face to face with this type of team, and knowing that they create from the back and want to create by playing football from the goalkeeper’s kick… is not easy.”
