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Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Within moments and to the joy of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks 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 said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his vocation. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has provided additional depth in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.