Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andre Santos scored for Arsenal as the Gunners defeated Olympiacos 2-1. The Greek champions did threaten Arsenal, but the Gunners were able to pull through in the end.
“The Ox” scored eight minutes into his Champions League debut. The 18-year old midfielder gathered a wonderful pass from Alex Song and finished in the bottom corner. Chamberlain did well to work his way into space before firing the expert shot.
Andre Santos scored his first Arsenal goal in the 20th minute. The Brazilian left back drove down the flank and his cross was blocked. The ball bounced right back to Santos, and he maneuvered around the defender before sticking it inside the near post. The Olympiacos keeper really should have made the stop, but Santos did a good job of threading the ball into the net.
Arsenal did not waste time in giving away the momentum. A David Fuster header put Olympiacos right back into the match in the 27th minute. Fuster was completely unmarked when he scored. It was yet another example of Arsenal’s terrible marking on set pieces.
Pat Rice was the manager on Wednesday night as Wenger served out his touchline ban. After the match, Rice reacted to the goal the Gunners conceded (from Arsenal.com): “It was soft, yes. From a defender’s point of view it was really poor.”
Many were questioning the Arsenal team selection before the game even started. Robin van Persie, Aaron Ramsey, and Kieran Gibbs all began the match on the bench. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain earned the surprise start after his performance against Shrewsbury Town.
Vasilis Torosidis gave Arsenal supporters quite a scare when his long-range effort hit off the top of the bar in the 64th minute. Torosidis launced a curler towards the far corner and Szczesny had no chance. Luckily, the shot was stopped by the woodwork.
The Gunners did have their chances in the second half. Chamberlain was put through by a brilliant pass from Marouane Chamakh, but The Ox was unable to lift the chip shot over the keeper. In the 69th minute, an Aaron Ramsey interception led to a break for Andre Arshavin. The little Russian did well to get past a defender, but his shot was saved.
Arsene Wenger was seen celebrating in the stands after the final whistle. No other English club won their Champions League match this week. Manchester United collapsed against FC Basel. Chelsea suffered a draw after giving up a late penalty to Valencia. Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and company were dominated by Bayern Munich on Tuesday. It was a sweet week for Arsene Wenger and his players.
Arsenal certianly fought their way to victory. Olympiacos were not the easy opponent the pundits claimed they would be. Pat Rice talked after the match about the will his team displayed (from Arsenal.com):
“I think in the first 20-25 minutes we were really in it well. After that for about 15-20 minutes we maybe lost our way and they came back into it. Second half we had to knuckle down, fight and get our shape right which I thought we did better in the second half.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is making a strong case to move above Theo Walcott in the starting eleven. The Ox said after the match that he hopes to play at White Hart Lane on Sunday (from The Sun): “I’m definitely hoping to play Spurs this weekend. If I’m not aspiring to be in the squad then there is something wrong.”
It is nice to see a young boy like Chamberlain with confidence and ambition. Arsene Wenger would be wise to pick The Ox to face Spurs. Theo Walcott missed the match on Wednesday due to an injury, and there is no need to rush him back. Chamberlain is doing a fine job.
Did Arsenal look weak at the back? Yes, but several players performed very well. Mikel Arteta made a splendid goal-line clearance in the 14th minute to preserve Arsenal’s slim lead. Per Mertesacker stepped up to make several key tackles, and he looked solid the entire night.
Arsene Wenger and his squad must now turn their attention to Spurs.
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