FC Arsenal come one step closer to the cup triumph. They are two Rio world champions short of a third-league club in their squad in the round of 16.
FC Arsenal are the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The record-breaking Cup winners beat Portsmouth FC 2-0 (1-0) without many regular players.
Former Bundesliga pros Sokratis (45.+4) and Edward Nketiah (51.) scored the goals for the Londoners, who have remained unbeaten against Portsmouth since 1958. National goalkeeper Bernd Leno sat on the bench after the Europa League outing last week against Olympiakos Piraeus. Rio world champions Shkodran Mustafi and Mesut Özil were not in the squad.
Last year, team manager Mikel Arteta’s team was eliminated in the round of 16 against record champions Manchester United. This was the last time the 13-time winner of the world’s oldest cup competition had triumphed in 2017 after a 2-1 victory over city rivals Chelsea FC.