Mikel Merino may have the enviable reputation of a man for the big occasion. His first goal for Arsenal came against Liverpool. He has a winner against Chelsea to his name. There was a strike in a victory over Real Madrid which means that, of all the clubs he has faced in his career, he has scored the most against the serial Champions League winners. He struck for Spain against the Netherlands this season and delivered a 119th-minute winner against the hosts Germany in a Euro 2024 quarter-final.
Briefly it seemed as though a talismanic figure had picked his moment again in arguably Arsenal’s biggest game in 16 years. A few minutes into the second half against Paris Saint-Germain, with Arsenal trailing but acquiring momentum. He headed in Declan Rice’s free kick. The Emirates Stadium celebrated raucously. Then it waited nervously. Then it was disappointed. “5cm offside changes the whole game,” reflected the man who put the ball in the net, but who was not the scorer.
