Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund: Score, Grades, Reaction from Champions League Game
Yaya Sanogo scored his first Arsenal goal as the Gunners secured progress to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase with a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over visiting Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night at the Emirates Stadium.
Sanogo, making his 19th appearance for Arsenal, put the Gunners ahead in just the second minute before Alexis Sanchez added his side's second goal, a fine curling effort, in the 57th minute.
With the win, Arsenal moved onto 10 points through five games in Group D, still two points behind leaders Dortmund. The Germans had already qualified for the knockout stage and can clinch top spot in the group with a win or draw at home to Anderlecht on Dec. 9, the final matchday of the group phase.
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| Roman Weidenfeller | 6.6 |
| Lukasz Piszczek | 6.9 |
| Neven Subotic | 7.1 |
| Matthias Ginter | 7.6 |
| Marcel Schmelzer | 7.7 |
| Ilkay Gundogan | 8.0 |
| Sven Bender | 7.2 |
| Kevin Grosskreutz | 7.3 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 6.3 |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 7.0 |
| Ciro Immobile | 5.9 |
| Shinji Kagawa (for Immobile, 61') | 6.3 |
| Adrian Ramos (for Aubameyang, 61') | 6.0 |
| Milos Jojic (for Grosskreutz, 78') | 6.2 |
Arsenal can still win the group but must defeat Galatasaray the same day in Istanbul and hope Dortmund lose to Anderlecht.
Wednesday's result will go some way to raising spirits at the Emirates. Last time out in the Champions League, Arsenal drew 3-3 at home to Anderlecht despite holding a three-goal lead in the second half. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's side have lost each of their last two Premier League games, including a demoralising 2-1 defeat to visiting Manchester United over the weekend.
With victory over Dortmund in hand, the Gunners will try to get back on track in the Premier League when they play at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Dortmund, who are currently in relegation trouble following a poor start to the Bundesliga season, play at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Following last weekend's disappointing defeat to Man United, the mood lifted considerably at the Emirates just over a minute into the match as Arsenal took an early lead through an unlikely source.
Holding possession on the right near the edge of the box, Sanogo played a clever backheel pass to Santi Cazorla, who returned the pass as Sanogo turned and advanced on goal. After controlling the ball, Sanogo poked his shot through goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller for the opening goal after just 73 seconds.
Replays showed a hint of offside during the buildup, but Dortmund's appeals went unheeded. Instead, Sanogo had his first goal for Arsenal and the Gunners had the lead.
Sanogo had another chance in the ninth minute after being played in by a long ball from Aaron Ramsey. This time, however, Sanogo was unable to get off a clean shot from the right flank.
Dortmund came close in the 19th minute as Lukasz Piszczek played a dangerous cross from the right. Ciro Immobile was lurking dangerously at the back post but was unable to turn the ball in.
The visitors had another good chance six minutes before the break. Ilkay Gundogan created the initial danger with a raking ball across Arsenal's box to the back post, where Piszczek headed down into the path of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The latter controlled and shot on target at the near post, but Arsenal goalkeeper Damian Martinez saved to preserve the clean sheet.
Arsenal started the second half on the front foot. Sanchez forced a good save with a low shot in the 51st minute and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the woodwork with a dipping half-volley three minutes later.
A second goal seemed to be coming, and in the 57th minute, Sanchez delivered it.
Cazorla started a quick attack in the middle, picking out Alexis on the left. Still well outside box, Alexis cut inside toward the middle and curled an excellent shot into the far corner for a 2-0 Arsenal lead.
The second goal brought with it a sense of security for Arsenal, and unlike in recent matches, the Gunners moved to consolidate their lead with patient, possession-based football. Defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini came on in the 67th minute for captain Mikel Arteta, who had taken a knock moments earlier.
Sanogo then departed in the 79th minute with an apparent hamstring problem. Lukas Podolski replaced him.
All that remained for Arsenal was to preserve the clean sheet. In the 82nd minute, Martinez saved a low shot by Gundogan after the Gunners were unable to clear a corner. Then, in stoppage time, Martinez saved again to deny Adrian Ramos and finish off the win.
Grades
Reaction
| Damian Martinez | 7.5 |
| Calum Chambers | 7.8 |
| Per Mertesacker | 7.1 |
| Nacho Monreal | 7.0 |
| Kieran Gibbs | 7.6 |
| Mikel Arteta | 6.9 |
| Aaron Ramsey | 7.8 |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | 7.3 |
| Alexis Sanchez | 8.6 |
| Santi Cazorla | 8.1 |
| Yaya Sanogo | 7.0 |
| Mathieu Flamini (for Arteta, 67') | 6.3 |
| Lukas Podolski (for Sanogo, 79') | 6.2 |
| Joel Campbell (for Oxlade-Chamberlain, 90') | No rating |
