The smallest of details brings the harshest of reckonings. There were two minutes left of added time and, given
Arsenal had both a one-goal lead and unhindered possession of the ball, a tentative foot in the Europa League semi-finals was theirs. Cédric Soares received possession in the left-back position but, instead of looking upfield, checked backwards and handed responsibility to Gabriel.
A heavy touch later and Jan Kuchta, a Slavia Prague substitute, had spooked Gabriel into slicing the ball off for a throw-in. Nineteen seconds after that Slavia had won a corner when Lukas Provod, their best player on the night, rattled the woodwork via Bernd Leno’s palms; a fraction over half a minute from there, Tomas Holes had powered in a header at the far post and Arsenal were left to wonder what would have happened if Soares had simply gone down the line.