Arsenal 1 Dynamo Kyiv 1: Could Have Been Better

One goal scored and one let in means one point gained for Arsenal.

It wasn't the worst result ever, but it could have been better against Dynamo Kyiv in our first outing in the Champions League proper yesterday. The .com match report is here. You will have to admit to being just a touch chuffed with the performance.

Song coming in for Eboue was the only change from the team that started against Blackburn, Song displacing Denilson to wide left and he sat in the DM slot.

We started brightly enough in the first half, RVP having two chances working the home 'keeper Bogush (man! he wasn't bogus at all), Ade coming close. But the best chance of the half was when Theo passed to Ade outside the box, who then looped a pass for Van Persie also in the box just outside the left hand post. RVP then laid it into the path of an approaching Fabregas to shoot from point blank range, but he wasn't able to convert.

Dynamo had decent spells of possession, and frustrated us. Maybe it was because they played five in midfield to our four, but our passing game deserted us and we never really got it going throughout the game. But we still had the pick of the scoring chances in the first period.

The second half was more of the same stuff. Almunia, who had little to do so far in the game, was beaten by a shot on goal. Luckily enough for all of us, it came off his left upright and did not nestle in the back of the net. Instead, it rolled in front of goal for our No. 1 to smother.

The home side went ahead in the 61st though, when Sagna was adjudged to have brought down Dynamo lone frontman Bangoura in the area. It was a horrendous decision, if it was a foul at all, it was Sagna who was the victim, as he was held by the Dynamo striker. Bangoura then dispatched the kick from the spot, 1-0 Dynamo.

After this, as hard as we tried we could not really get our game together and the home side we buoyed by their lead. All this meant that we failed to create clear cut chances. Song—who was really good on the night—made way for Bendtner on 70 mins and RVP made way for Vela on 84. They failed to improve the situation though. We got ourselves in decent positions but failed in the scoring third.

It was not until the 88th minuted that we scored. It was another low cross from Walcott that Ade got a touch on infront of goal. It probably was heading goalward anyway, but Billy Gallas was not taking any chances, he stabbed it home, to cue huge sighs of relief amongst the travelling fans. And for us indeed.

There wasn't enough time for a winner and that's how it ended.

I know Gallas has come in for plenty of stick for his defensive frailties. While they are true, he does chip in with some really pivotal goals for us. I'm convinced it was his touch that brought us up on level terms last night. Three goals for us this season in Europe if I'm not wrong, and absolutely vital ones at that. So credit where it's due and rot like that.

Arsene got it spot on after the game when he said:

“The game is a mixture of frustration and relief. The game should be over at half-time because we had clear chances in the first half, but it is a relief because with three minutes to go we were 1-0 down," he said. "I felt our level dropped in the second half and we did not create as many chances as we would have liked to. We feel we have lost two points today."

The point we got sees us level with our opponents on the night, while Porto saw off Feberbache with a 3-1 victory. So Porto it is then who sit pretty atop the group.

In hindsight it was an important point, and we can build from here. It's not the easiest group to progress from—we will have to battle at the away games and try and get maximum points from our home games, and that's not beyond us.

Will leave it there for now, but Bolton away, another historically bad place for us in recent times is up next. Bulid up to that later.

So long!