Havertz Hails David Raya As The Best Keeper In The World After Arsenal's Late Winner Against Sporting

Kai Havertz delivered a dramatic winner for Arsenal against Sporting CP in the Champions League, yet the forward chose to highlight David Raya, calling the goalkeeper central to the 1-0 first-leg victory. Havertz struck in the 91st minute at Emirates Stadium, but several key saves from Raya ensured Arsenal carried an advantage into the second leg.

The match brought welcome relief for Arsenal after two straight defeats in domestic cups, including the EFL Cup final loss to Manchester City and an FA Cup quarter-final exit to Southampton. A narrow win over Sporting CP restored momentum in Europe and placed Arsenal in a strong position ahead of the return game in Portugal.

The first half featured clear chances for both Arsenal and Sporting CP, with tension evident early. Maxi Araujo hit the crossbar for Sporting inside the opening 15 minutes, and Noni Madueke responded by also striking the frame of the goal. Arsenal thought Martin Zubimendi had scored after the break, but the effort was ruled out because Viktor Gyokeres was offside in the build-up.

Havertz, introduced from the bench, again proved effective in a Champions League substitute role. The German forward has now scored three goals in his last five appearances from the bench in this competition. Overall, Havertz has 14 Champions League goals, with seven coming across the last two seasons, four in 2024-25 and three in 2025-26.

Those recent Champions League figures for Kai Havertz are shown below.

Before Havertz’s low finish into the bottom-left corner, Raya delivered several important interventions. The goalkeeper denied Sporting CP on three major occasions, helping Arsenal keep a clean sheet. Those saves led Havertz to praise the teammate heavily in the post-match interview and to underline Raya’s growing influence during the last two campaigns.

Reflecting on the decisive goal and the narrow win, Havertz explained how vital the late strike felt for Arsenal. "To score a late goal is always nice, especially in front of the fans, and we take that result," Havertz told Amazon Prime. "Still a lot of work to do next week, but we take the result for sure."

Havertz then focused on David Raya’s role between the posts. "[Raya is] unbelievable. I think [he is] still underestimated in the world of football, but for me, the last two seasons, the best keeper in the world. He's outstanding, he's saved us so many times, and we're very glad to have him." Raya’s display backed up that assessment across the 90 minutes.

Arsenal’s record in Champions League knockout ties also suggests this first-leg success is significant. The team has lost the opening leg in just one of the last six knockout ties, winning three and drawing two. When Arsenal win the first leg, they have progressed in seven of their last eight knockout ties in this competition.

The result followed a difficult spell for Arsenal, who had not previously suffered consecutive defeats in all competitions this season. Havertz welcomed the response after setbacks in the EFL Cup and FA Cup. "Definitely a big turnaround for us because we lost the last two matches," he said. "So, we wanted to get a turnaround, and we made that happen. We stick together as a group; we have so much more to come this season. Seven weeks to go, we can win big titles, and we're going to go for that."

Arsenal now lead Sporting CP 1-0 heading into the second leg, with form in Champions League knockout ties offering encouragement. Havertz’s scoring run and Raya’s consistency give Arsenal confidence, while the squad aims to challenge for trophies over the remaining seven weeks of the season across all competitions.