Conceição says Arteta ‘insulted my family’ during Champions League game, Porto eliminated

LONDON (AP) — Porto coach Sergio Conceição accused Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta of insulting his family during Tuesday’s Champions League game between the teams, continuing a trend of lashing out at the opposing manager after a loss.

Arsenal beat Porto on penalties at the Emirates Stadium to advance to the quarterfinals, and the two managers had a lengthy exchange after the game in which Conceição seemed to admonish Arteta, pointing his finger at the Spaniard as he made his point. Arteta responded by shaking his head as he walked away.

“During the game, (Arteta) turned to the bench and in Spanish — it must be a Spanish coach thing because it was the same thing with (Pep) Guardiola — he insulted my family,” Conceição said in Portuguese after the game. “In the end I told him to pay attention because who he insulted is no longer with us, and to worry about coaching his team, because due to individual quality he has an obligation to do more and better.”

Porto manager Sergio Conceição gestures on the touchline during the Champions League round of 16, second leg soccer match between Arsenal and Porto at the Emirates Stadium, London, Tuesday March 12, 2024.

When asked about the exchange with Conceição in his post-game news conference, Arteta only said “no comment” before leaving the podium.

Conceição has made similar claims about other managers.

After a group-stage loss to Manchester City in 2020, he said Guardiola “spoke about our country using ugly words” and that “Guardiola’s attitude was extremely unpleasant.”

After Porto lost to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League quarterfinals, he also said then-Blues coach Thomas Tuchel “insulted” him during the game.

Arsenal’s 14-year wait for a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals is over, thanks largely to David Raya’s penalty saves.

Raya tipped one spot kick by Porto’s Wendell against the post and then palmed away another from Galeno to secure a 4-2 win in a penalty shootout on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium.

It ended a long streak of round-of-16 losses for Arsenal, which had been eliminated at this stage in its last seven appearances in the competition but won 1-0 to level the aggregate score at 1-1.

Arsenal trailed 1-0 from the first leg in Portugal — when Galeno scored the winner deep into stoppage time — but went level through Leandro Trossard’s 41st-minute goal. Neither side could find another goal despite extra time as Porto’s disciplined defensive tactics largely held Arsenal at bay.

Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard, center, scores during the Champions League round of 16, second leg soccer match between Arsenal and Porto at the Emirates Stadium, London, Tuesday March 12, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Porto had snatched the win with a last-minute long-range strike in the home leg and did its best to protect that advantage with a combination of stout defending and a variety of time-wasting techniques.

But the hosts did have a couple of chances in the first half, with striker Evanilson shooting narrowly wide from outside the area in the 16th after Arsenal gave the ball away and then drawing a good save from Raya from the center of the area in the 22nd.

Arsenal’s sustained pressure finally paid off when Trossard scored with a low shot inside the far post after being teed up in the area by Martin Odegaard. The shot went through the legs of veteran defender Pepe, who at 41 is the oldest outfield player to play in a Champions League match and the same age as Arteta.

Arsenal had a second goal ruled out in the second half when Odegaard put the ball into an empty net but Kai Havertz was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Diogo Costa moments before.

Gabriel Jesus nearly scored straight after coming on in the 83rd minute with a shot that nearly snuck between Costa’s legs but deflected out for a corner.

Odegaard had a great chance moments later after Bukayo Saka burst forward and drew a save from Costa, with the rebound landing at the Norway midfielder’s feet, but he fired wide with the net gaping.

Porto substitute Mehdi Taremi had the first chance in extra time when he broke into the area in the 101st but curled his shot wide of the far post. Saka then had a shot blocked at the last moment in the 110th after being teed up by substitute Eddie Nketiah in the box.

Odegaard, Havertz, Saka and Declan Rice all scored for Arsenal in the penalty shootout, setting up Raya’s decisive save when he dove to his left to deny Galeno.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Conceição says Arteta ‘insulted my family’ during Champions League game