Ex-England star abandoned Sky Sports shift midway through Arsenal's loss at Porto | Football | Sport | Express.co.uk

Search Sky Sports were left without a reporter for the final 30 minutes of Arsenal's Champions League defeat against Porto. Link copied Bookmark

Keith Curle had to leave his Sky Sports reporting duties 30 minutes early (Image: Sky Sports)Former England defender Keith Curle stunned Sky Sports viewers by abandoning his reporting shift for Arsenal's Champions League defeat against Porto on Wednesday evening. The ex-Manchester City star covered up to the 60th minute before disappearing from the studio.

According to the Daily Mail, the 60-year-old had to dash across London to reach the last train to Sheffield. Curle was booked onto the 10:30pm train from Euston and reportedly had to quickly leave Sky's Isleworth studio just prior to 9:30pm.

It means that Curle - who played three times for England in 1992 - missed the remarkable ending to the game. Porto winger Galeno scored the only goal in the fourth minute of injury time.

Defeat in Portugal leaves Arsenal with a major task ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 12. The Gunners have been beaten in their last seven last-16 ties in the Champions League, a hoodoo that is at risk of extending to eight this season.

Mikel Arteta felt his side "lacked purpose" in possession and the Spaniard was disappointed with how Arsenal finished the game. He said: "Obviously I am very disappointed with the way we gave the game away at the end. Not managing that situation well enough. You get punished in the Champions League.

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"In the second half there were much better things and we generated a lot of situations, without really creating much from it. We will learn from it. Now it is clear, it is half-time.

"If you want to be in the quarter-finals you have to beat your opponent and that will be the purpose and the plan, with all our supporters together."

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