Arsenal secured a perfect six-from-six record in the Champions League last night with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge, and it turned into a landmark night for Gabriel Martinelli.
Mikel Arteta’s side approached the sixth continental fixture seeking a response after last Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League, and it required 25 minutes for the league leaders to strike first, as Noni Madueke opened the scoring.
The former Chelsea winger later increased the London side’s lead soon after the interval, before Martinelli sealed all three points for the visitors, confirming their sixth consecutive win in this season’s competition.
By taking all three points on Wednesday, Arsenal became the fourth English club — following Liverpool in 2021–22, Manchester City in 2023–24 and the Reds again in 2024–25 — to register six straight wins at the start of a Champions League season, and Martinelli produced a club milestone in the process.
The 24-year-old slipped the ball through Club Brugge right-back Hugo Siquet’s legs before blasting an unstoppable strike beyond Dani van den Heuvel from outside the box.
As per Opta, Martinelli’s latest strike means the Brazilian has found the net in five straight Champions League fixtures for Arsenal, a sequence no other Gunners player has ever produced in the tournament.
Not since Thierry Henry scored in six consecutive matches in the UEFA Cup over two decades ago has any player from the club recorded the continental landmark.
Landmark
It has been over twenty years since an Arsenal star matched anything similar, with Thierry Henry hitting the target in six UEFA Cup matches in a row—the last time anyone from the club delivered that sort of European rhythm.
Martinelli’s goals in this campaign have come against Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Club Brugge, and the Brazilian now has the chance to draw level with Henry’s historic run when Arsenal visit Inter Milan on January 20.
By winning on Wednesday, Arteta’s men stayed three points clear at the top of their Champions League section, keeping Bayern Munich as their closest pursuers.
Although Martinelli has been delivering remarkable numbers in front of goal, speculation has emerged suggesting Arsenal could consider moving him on.
Since his switch from Ituano in 2019, the forward has remained a constant part of the squad and is closing in on 250 matches for the North London side.
Martinelli will hope to retain his position in Arteta’s starting XI against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 13th December.
