Arsenal Complete BATE Comeback to Advance in UEFA Europa League

Arsenal beat BATE Borisov 3-0 on Thursday to advance to the UEFA Europa League's round of 16, overturning their one-goal deficit from the first leg. The aggregate score was 3-1.

Zakhar Volkov gave the hosts an early advantage with an unfortunate own-goal, and Shkodran Mustafi converted a corner to double the lead just before half-time. BATE had several chances to get on the board themselves, but the Gunners were the better team in the opening half.

That pattern continued after the break and Sokratis Papastathopoulos made it 3-0 on the hour mark.

The Gunners avoided major embarrassment against the minnows from Belarus, who caused a shock by winning the first leg.

Vital Ozil Key to Arsenal's Europa League, Top Four Hopes

Rival fans will argue Arsenal's positive outing and Mesut Ozil's contributions shouldn't be given too much credit given the opposition, but anyone who watched Thursday's match will have noticed the effect the former Real Madrid man has on this team.

Making his first start since late January, the 30-year-old pulled the strings in midfield from the opening minute. Sportswriter Dylan Walsh thought he was the best man on the pitch in the opening stages:

His level of play dropped a bit after the fast start, with several passes not finding the mark. Rust may have had an impact, but Ozil's runs were just a little off, leading to a bad offside call and some ruined chances.

Those issues were offset by the fact the Gunners' attack looked far more fluid than it has in some time. Ozil remains a world-class conductor, even when he's not racking up assists.

Goal thought the idea the team is better without him is absurd:

The fans appeared to agree:

Manager Unai Emery talked about Ozil ahead of Thursday's match, explaining what he needs to do to see more minutes:

Arsenal's routine win over BATE showed how important he is to the team, and with an eye on both the Premier League's top-four race and the rest of the Europa League, his time on the sidelines has to end.

He's capable of being among the sport's most decisive men when on form, and in order to build that form, he needs to play consistently.

What's Next?

Arsenal host Southampton in the English Premier League on Sunday. The Belarusian Premier League is in between seasons and won't kick off again until March.