🔗 Share this article

If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that every Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the juncture his luck shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Shortly after and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker made his mark. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.