Arsenal FC and Sporting Clube de Portugal played out a tight 0–0 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on 15 April 2026, leaving everything to be decided in the return fixture.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough, the contest at Arsenal vs Sporting developed into a tactical stalemate. Detailed chance-by-chance data is unavailable, but the lack of goals underlined how evenly matched the teams were on the night.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was booked in the 70th minute, reflecting the growing tension on the touchline as his team searched unsuccessfully for a decisive moment. Sporting saw two players cautioned late on, with Maximiliano Araújo receiving a yellow card in the 79th minute and Rui Borges also going into the referee’s book in stoppage time.
Arteta turned to his bench early in the second half. Viktor Gyökeres was replaced by Kai Havertz on 56 minutes, before Noni Madueke made way for Max Dowman just after the hour mark. In the closing stages, Arsenal introduced additional attacking options, with Leandro Trossard coming on for Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus replacing Eberechi Eze in the 79th minute.
Sporting responded with their own reshuffle. A double change in the 71st minute saw Geovany Quenda replace Geny Catamo and Daniel Bragança come on for Pedro Gonçalves. Later, Hidemasa Morita was substituted for João Simões, and in the 85th minute Eduardo Quaresma and Trincão were withdrawn for Georgios Vagiannidis and Rafael Nel respectively.
With the first leg ending goalless, neither Arsenal nor Sporting have a clear advantage heading into the second leg of this Champions League quarter-final. Both teams will now turn their focus to fine-tuning tactics for what promises to be a decisive and tense return match.
For more on this season’s competition, visit the UEFA Champions League overview, or check team pages for further updates on Arsenal FC and Sporting Clube de Portugal.
UEFA Champions League Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Arsenal FC
|
8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 19 | 24 | W D D W L |
| 2 |
FC Bayern München
|
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 21 | D L W W D |
| 3 |
Liverpool FC
|
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 18 | L L L W L |
| 4 |
Tottenham Hotspur FC
|
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 | |
| 5 |
FC Barcelona
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 16 | W L L D L |
| 6 |
Chelsea FC
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 16 | |
| 7 |
Sporting Clube de Portugal
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 16 | D L D L D |
| 8 |
Manchester City FC
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 16 | L L W L L |
| 9 |
Real Madrid CF
|
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 15 | L L L L W |
| 10 |
FC Internazionale Milano
|
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 15 | L W D D W |
| 11 |
Paris Saint-Germain FC
|
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 14 | D W W W W |
| 12 |
Newcastle United FC
|
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 14 | |
| 13 |
Juventus FC
|
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 13 | L W L D W |
| 14 |
Club Atlético de Madrid
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 13 | L D L W L |
| 15 |
Atalanta BC
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 13 | L L D W L |
| 16 |
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
|
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 12 | L L W L W |
| 17 |
Borussia Dortmund
|
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 11 | W L W D D |
| 18 |
PAE Olympiakos SFP
|
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 11 | |
| 19 |
Club Brugge KV
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 10 | L L W W L |
| 20 |
Galatasaray SK
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 | |
| 21 |
AS Monaco FC
|
8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 10 | D L L W L |
| 22 |
Qarabağ Ağdam FK
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 10 | |
| 23 |
FK Bodø/Glimt
|
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 9 | |
| 24 |
Sport Lisboa e Benfica
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 9 | L L D W W |
| 25 |
Olympique de Marseille
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 9 | |
| 26 |
Paphos FC
|
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 9 | |
| 27 |
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 9 | |
| 28 |
PSV
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 | D L W L W |
| 29 |
Athletic Club
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 8 | |
| 30 |
SSC Napoli
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 8 | |
| 31 |
FC København
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 21 | -9 | 8 | |
| 32 |
AFC Ajax
|
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 21 | -13 | 6 | |
| 33 |
Eintracht Frankfurt
|
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 4 | |
| 34 |
SK Slavia Praha
|
8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | -14 | 3 | |
| 35 |
Villarreal CF
|
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 1 | |
| 36 |
FK Kairat
|
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 1 |
