'Barely visible' Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres roasted by Portuguese press after being 'stifled' by former club Sporting CP

Gyokeres arrived back in Lisbon with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, but the Swedish international failed to live up to the hype against his former employers. Despite his incredible goal-scoring record during his time in Portugal, he struggled to make any meaningful impact on the game, leading to scathing reviews in the local papers. "The striker celebrates with a mask, [but] seemed masked: he was barely visible", reported A Bola, highlighting how isolated the forward looked throughout the contest.

Other outlets were equally unimpressed with the man who once spearheaded Sporting's attack before his high-profile move to North London. O Jogo claimed that Sporting "stifled" their former talisman, while Publico noted that the striker was "largely absent from the game." It was a humbling evening for a player who had scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese giants, only to find himself neutralised by the defenders who used to be his team-mates.

The statistics from the night made for grim reading for the Arsenal man, who managed just 17 touches of the ball during his time on the pitch. His most significant contribution actually worked against the Gunners, as he was judged to be in an offside position during the build-up to a disallowed Martin Zubimendi strike. When Gyokeres did finally find a yard of space to test Rui Silva, his weak effort late in the game was easily gathered by the goalkeeper. It was a far cry from the explosive form that saw Arsenal shell out £65 million for his services.

While Gyokeres struggled to ignite, Mikel Arteta was forced to look to his bench to find the breakthrough in what had been a laboured performance. The introduction of Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz proved to be the turning point, with the latter grabbing a dramatic stoppage-time winner to hand Arsenal a precious first-leg lead. Arteta was full of praise for his substitutes, stating that "in the end a magic moment from the finishers win us the game," after the duo combined to unlock the Sporting defence.

Despite the criticism, Gyokeres will not have to wait long for a chance to silence his doubters and prove the Portuguese press wrong. The two sides are set to meet again next week at the Emirates Stadium for the second leg, where the stakes will be even higher with a place in the Champions League semi-finals on the line. After being "stifled" in his old backyard, the Swedish striker will be desperate to show his clinical side in front of his new home fans.