David Raya: Arsenal Penalty Hero Appears to Brag After Beating Porto to Reach UCL Quarterfinal

• David Raya made a bold claim after Arsenal's UCL success
• He was the hero, as the Gunners edged FC Porto on penalties
• Arsenal thus reached the last-8 for the first time since 2010

Following his heroic performance in Arsenal's qualification to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, goalkeeper David Raya displayed a touch of bravado.

The Spanish shot-stopper exhibited brilliance during the post-match penalty shootout, making two crucial saves and denying FC Porto's attacking threats throughout regulation time.

Raya's stellar performance played a pivotal role in ending Arsenal's nearly two-decade-long absence from the Champions League quarter-finals, a feat last achieved by the Gunners in 2010.

In a closely contested encounter, Arsenal narrowly defeated Porto 1-0 in the second leg of their UCL round of 16 tie, leading to the first penalty shootout in the competition since the 2016 final, per UEFA.

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David emerged as the hero, thwarting both Wendell and, decisively, Galeno to propel the Premier League leaders into the next round.

Raya 'brags' about penalty saves

Despite his exceptional performance, the former Blackburn Rovers and Brentford custodian expressed a hint of dissatisfaction during an interview with TNT Sports after the match.

The 28-year-old goalkeeper revealed that he believed he could have also saved Marko Grujic's penalty, a shot he managed to get a hand to.

"I should have saved three, but I'm over the moon to save two," he said as quoted by GOAL.

"We played a really good game from the start. We dominated, created chances and it went down to penalties. We've worked a lot on penalties this year and all the hard work with the goalie coach and the team has paid off."

Raya leads EPL Golden Glove race

Continuing with the focus on David Raya, Sports Brief examined the goalkeepers with the highest number of clean sheets this season following Andre Onana's recent shutout.

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Despite the recent resurgence in form from the Manchester United shot-stopper, he still falls short of the accomplishments of the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Raya currently leads the race for the Premier League Golden Glove with nine clean sheets, edging ahead of Onana by one.

UCL: Raya's Arsenal among final eight

In an earlier publication, Sports Brief reported that the stage is almost complete for the quarter-finals of the 2023–24 Champions League, with notable teams like Arsenal and Barcelona in the lineup.

After a tense encounter, Arsenal clinched their spot in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, prevailing over Porto in an exhilarating penalty shootout.

This victory signifies Arsenal's return to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.