Arsenal took on Mansfield Town in the FA Cup on Saturday lunchtime. According to major media reports, Arsenal advanced to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Mansfield. The match featured a weakened Arsenal squad, as Mansfield plays at the third highest level in England, which led Arsenal to field a weakened squad on a rough away pitch.
Arsenal took the lead shortly after when a player curled the ball into the crossbar. However, Mansfield equalized shortly after halftime. A passing error in the back line was picked up by Mansfield's Will Evans, who went straight towards goal and scored.
After the equalizer, Arsenal substituted in Jurriën Timber and Eberechi Eze, and it paid off when the latter scored 2-1 with a hard shot after 66 minutes of play, which was enough for advancement. Injury concerns overshadowed the victory for Arsenal. Leandro Trossard started the match for Arsenal but had to sit on the grass after about 36 minutes before being substituted due to injury.
Major media reports indicate that Leandro Trossard went down 10 minutes before half-time and received treatment from physios before a decision was made to bring him off and introduce Piero Hincapie. Mikel Arteta has been handed a major injury worry with Leandro Trossard forced off in their FA Cup fifth round tie against Mansfield Town. The exact nature and severity of Leandro Trossard's injury is unknown.
Riccardo Calafiori also had to be substituted due to injury shortly after the 2-1 goal, with the exact nature and severity of his injury also not determined. The injuries to Calafiori and Trossard are cause for concern ahead of a season finale where Arsenal is competing on four fronts, though whether these injuries will impact their performance remains to be seen. Adding to Arsenal's injury woes, Martin Ødegaard was not in Arsenal's match squad for the third match in a row.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard has been struggling with a knee injury, but the expected recovery time for his injury is unclear. The team now faces challenges as they balance multiple competitions with a depleted squad. In other sports news, Eva Ingebrigtsen (21) was fastest on the track and became U23 world champion in the 10-kilometer cross-country skiing.
8 seconds over Swiss silver medalist Marina Kälin in the classic race with interval start. Earlier in the week, Eva Ingebrigtsen sprinted to silver in the 20-kilometer mass start in freestyle technique. Among other Norwegian skiers, Oline Vestad finished in 5th place and was the second best of the Norwegian girls on Lillehammer Saturday.
Mali Eidnes Bakken finished right behind Oline Vestad, while Tuva Brusveen-Jensen became number nine. 8 seconds. 5 kilometers left, the Byåsen skier was in silver position.
The other Norwegians became extras on home ground, with Thomas Mollestad ending as number 18, Daniel Omfjord right behind, and Vemund Johnsborg further down in 23rd place. Earlier in the World Championships, Filip Skari won the U23 sprint, and there have been several Norwegian cross-country golds at the junior level.