Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Arsenal maintained their hopes of advancing to the UEFA Champions League knockout round with a 3-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium.
Alexis Sanchez scored twice and created another for the Gunners, who won for just the second time in five Group F matches. Mesut Ozil netted the other goal for the hosts.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Arsenal's Champions League Hopes
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This has hardly been a banner year for Arsenal in the Champions League. Following a shock 2-1 loss at Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 1, the Gunners then fell 3-2 at home to Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium.
A home win over Bayern Munich gave Arsene Wenger's side hope, but the margin for error evaporated after the return trip to Bavaria, a 5-1 defeat. That result left Arsenal needing the full six points from their final two matches—plus a bit of help—to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stage for the 16th consecutive season.
Tuesday's win, therefore, was a step in the right direction. After exacting revenge for that upset loss in Croatia, Arsenal now have six points through five matches and trail Olympiakos by three points heading into the final matchday.
The two teams play each other on Dec. 9 for the right to advance as Group F runners-up. A draw or Olympiakos win would send the Greek side into the last 16. To overcome their head-to-head disadvantage, Arsenal must win either by two clear goals or by a one-goal margin greater than 3-2.
Considering how poorly Arsenal started their European campaign, it's amazing they have even a small chance to proceed. Now all they have to do is take it.
Finishing third in the group would send Arsenal to the Europa League, a scenario Wenger doesn't want to see.
"The Europa League is not the target," the Arsenal manager told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "Let us give everything to remain in the Champions League."
Loser: Dinamo Away from Home
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Dinamo entered Tuesday's match on an eight-match losing streak in Champions League matches away from home. This latest defeat makes it nine straight or three consecutive seasons of away games in group play.
Such a record means it's little surprise that the Croatian side are now assured of last place in the group. But after beating Arsenal on Matchday 1, Dinamo must have harbored hopes of at least qualifying for the Europa League by finishing third.
Winner: Mesut Ozil
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Mesut Ozil continued his strong run of form, scoring a goal in a classy playmaking performance. Almost unbelievably, the German did not record an assist, but he influenced play throughout the 90 minutes.
At BBC Sport, Phil McNulty wrote:
"(Ozil) was pulling all the strings here as Arsenal kept their Champions League campaign on track, not only by displaying a wonderful range of perfectly-measured passing, but by breaking the deadlock and easing nerves inside the stadium with his diving header.
Ozil's languid style sees him painted as something of an enigma, but when he moves so silkily, dictating the tempo in this fashion, he looks a player of the highest quality.
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As for Ozil's goal, it came via a header, which is quite the rarity. According to Stats Football, this was just the second time in 42 club goals that the German international has scored with his head.
"I think Mesut Ozil had an outstanding first half," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, per UEFA.com. "He has got the taste for scoring now. I have never seen Ozil in the box so many times as in the last five or six games."
Winner: Alexis Sanchez
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Ozil would have been an easy choice for man of the match most nights, but Alexis Sanchez was brilliant in his own right, scoring twice and setting up the third with an Ozil-esque chip that the German headed in.
So who was better? Does it matter?
"Ozil and Sanchez simply magnificent," tweeted John Cross of the Daily Mirror.
The goals came at a good time for Sanchez, who had gone scoreless in his last six matches. The Chilean tends to score in bunches—his last salvo was seven strikes in four games—so Arsenal could be reaping the benefits in the coming days.
Winner: Aaron Ramsey
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Aaron Ramsey entered Tuesday's match as a substitute in the second half. By then the result wasn't really in doubt, but the Welshman's return to action eased Arsenal's injury crisis somewhat.
Ramsey had been missing since Oct. 20, when he injured his hamstring against Bayern Munich. By the time he returned, the Gunners were without a long, long list of key players. That number included defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin, who limped out of Saturday's loss to West Bromwich Albion and will miss at least two months (h/t James Riach at the Guardian).
The return of Ramsey was thus a welcome bit of good news for Arsenal. Ramsey, it should be noted, just became a father for the first time, as he announced recently on Twitter.
Congratulations to the new dad, who will be hoping to make an extended, injury-free run in Arsenal's first XI.
