SAMI MOKBEL: Arsenal tasted a crash course in winning at all costs against Porto. If Mikel Arteta’s young side are to go deep in the Champions League they’ll need to learn the dark arts of European knockout football fast

You either win or you learn. That’s what Mikel Arteta will rely on.

The immediate pain of losing time due to an injury can be difficult to shake. Arsenal of course do not have that luxury: they welcome Newcastle to the Emirates on Saturday.

But when the dust settles from their latest defeat here in Portugal on Wednesday, Arsenal’s players will go into the second leg against Porto knowing they have more than enough in their arsenal to win by at least two clear goals.

Indeed, there are lessons to be learned from their loss at the Estadio do Dragao to make that task easier.

To be successful in Europe, you have to endure nights like this.

Nights where inferior opposition uses every trick in the book to somehow gain the upper hand.

Mikel Arteta’s young side now have everything to do when they welcome the Portuguese side to the Emirates on March 12

Galeno curled a stunning long-range effort into the back of the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time

Porto knew they couldn’t fight fire with fire against Arsenal. Arteta’s side would have blown them away.

So they hurt, they made mistakes, they disrupted. And they won.

“That’s the context of the game,” Arteta explained when asked about Porto’s continued fouls.

“It’s something we knew and had to prepare for. It’s something the referee has to sort out.

“We can’t do anything about it and we’ll just have to deal with it and play our game.”

So heading into the second leg, Arsenal can expect another night of dirty tricks.

If they can keep their wits about them, they have the quality to beat Porto in front of a home crowd hungry for blood.

That kind of European gamesmanship is something Arsenal’s young players are not used to.

They fought their way out of the group stage, scoring sixteen goals, double the number of second-placed PSV.

But the knockout stages are a completely different story. Arsenal tasted that medicine for the first time in seven years last night.

A crash course in winning at all costs. And if Arsenal want to be successful in Europe over a longer period of time, they will have to get used to it.

Arsenal struggled to create chances throughout the match and failed to register a shot on target

The Gunners appeared to struggle against Porto’s experience as the home side kicked, nibbled and upset the visitors to secure victory

Last night it seemed like they had their heads wrapped around it; Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard both conceded strategic free-kicks to prevent Porto from countering in the second half.

When the two sides meet again in London, the Gunners will have to be patient. The crowd will demand a fast start, but if the breakthrough doesn’t come immediately, Arsenal will have to wait a little longer.

That’s what experienced European campaigners do. Chasing the game can be dangerous.

It’s a balancing act that the most successful teams in the Champions League have perfected.

If Arsenal want to delve deeper into the competition this year, they will have to learn the dark arts of European knockout football. And learn quickly.