"It took just 36 seconds for Gabriel Martinelli to justify Mikel Arteta's belief that Arsenal now possess the squad to win the UEFA Champions League. After 70 minutes of toil against Athletic Club in Spain, Martinelli's instant impact as a match-winning substitute proved that Arteta now has game-changers on and off the pitch. Martinelli's goal, 36 seconds after replacing Eberechi Eze, came from a pass by Leandro Trossard, who had only entered the game himself six minutes earlier in place of Viktor Gyökeres."
""Sometimes the finishers will be more important than the starters this season," Arteta told reporters after the match. "And in the end, the finishers made the impact to win the game. [The substitutes] are at least equally important, and maybe more important, in that stage of games. "I adore [Martinelli]. His attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he's willing to do for the team. I don't know about externally, but we certainly value all the qualities that he has and that he"
Arsenal defeated Athletic Club 2-0 in Bilbao through rapid, game-changing contributions from substitutes. Gabriel Martinelli scored 36 seconds after replacing Eberechi Eze, converting a pass from Leandro Trossard, and later assisted Trossard's goal to seal the win. Trossard himself had entered minutes earlier as a substitute. Mikel Arteta cited the club's £300 million summer recruitment for creating stronger squad depth capable of challenging in the UEFA Champions League. Arteta stressed the rising importance of finishers and substitutes and praised Martinelli's attitude, commitment and positivity as vital to team performance.
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