Masked Man Gyökeres Silences ‘Invisible’ Taunts to Make His Mark at the Gunners

If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the moment his fortune changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his chosen profession. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he bustled about like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have felt like the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.