Sergio Conceicao, the Porto head coach, has alleged that Mikel Arteta insulted his family during Arsenal’s tense Champions League victory.
David Raya became Arsenal‘s hero as they secured their spot in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, saving two penalties in a tense shoot-out.
However, the game was overshadowed by clashes between both sets of players and benches, with rival managers Arteta and Conceicao engaged in a heated confrontation after the final whistle.
Conceicao hurtful claims
Conceicao alleges, according to the Mail, that Arteta disrespected his loved ones during the game.
‘The result was injust. Our team deserved to go through,’ said the Porto boss.
‘What Arteta said, towards the bench in Spanish, he insulted my family. He should focus on training his team.’
Arteta has refuted Sergio Conceicao’s accusations, with club sources indicating that the Spaniard did not make any remarks about his rival’s family.
On his side’s win, the Gunners boss said: ‘It was a magical night. It was what we expected against a tough opponent, who were really well organised, said Arteta.
‘We scored a beautiful goal. That’s a huge experience for us, we needed penalties and we prepared well for that.
‘We found a way, I can see how much they want to win. How much they were sacrificing. When you play like, this sooner or later it’s going to go your way.
‘I’ve probably not experienced an atmosphere like that at the Emirates, it was amazing from the start to to the end. Huge thank you to them and today I thought they impacted the game.
Arteta added: ‘We practice at the training ground, a few of them missed, but in the end you have to do it on the night.
‘It’s a big step for the club, the best thing is we are not satisfied and we want to go to the next round.’
Raya added, “Obviously, it’s a great feeling for me personally, being my first time in the Champions League, and for the club to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in so many years.”
‘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.’
