UCL round-up: Arsenal, Real win

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • On target: Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo celebrates scoring his first UCL goal.

    Arsenal have secured their place in the Champions League round of 16 thanks to a 2-0 over Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates on Wednesday evening. 

    The Gunners needed just a point at home to seal qualification and their victory over Die Schwarzgelben now gives them a chance to claim top spot, a feat which could see the Londoners avoid a potentially tricky last 16 draw.

    And it was Yaya Sanogo, who featured in the starting XI due to a Danny Welbeck injury, who got Arsenal off to the ideal start. Sanogo exchanged with Santi Cazorla, before slotting through the legs of Roman Weidenfeller off the Spaniard’s through-ball within 73 seconds of the kick-off. 

    Despite an attempt from Dortmund to level the scores, Alexis Sanchez put the match to bed in the 57th minute when he curled a shot into the back of the net from the edge of the box to seal the victory.

    Following the match, Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp conceded that Arsenal were ‘deserved winners’.

    “It was the worst possible start to concede such a quick goal,” Klopp said at a press conference. “There were situations and moments when we did what we wanted but those periods were very short. 

    “Too many times we were not that great and Arsenal were the deserved winners tonight. We just weren’t good enough. We could have done better, we were not courageous tonight. There are 1000 reasons why we were not that good tonight. We have to work. 

    For Arsene Wenger though, the win comes at a cost as both Sanogo and Mikel Arteta came off injured, with the latter a concern from the manager.

    “That doesn’t look good, it’s the calf,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “It’s very difficult to take on the chin because we are going into many games and you need everybody available, but I think Arteta will be out for a while.”

    There was better news over at St Jakob-Park as defending champions Real Madrid saw off Basel 1-0, claiming the club record of 15 consecutive wins in the process.

    Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game as he slotted home from close range in the 35th minute, matching Raul’s tally of 71 Champions League goals in the process.

    The Portuguese’s latest strike was his 26th goal of the season in all competitions. 

    “We are group leaders, the team have been great. The players deserve appreciation for what they’re doing,” Ancelotti told reporters after the match. It’s a fantastic streak, but the season is very long and you have to think about the next game.”

    Basel are still hopeful of qualifying when the play their final fixture at Anfield next month – any result, bar a defeat, will see them take second spot.

    Elsewhere in the group, Liverpool’s hopes  of making the last 16 remain alive after their first goals in the competition since mid-September but a late Ludogorets equaliser saw them leave Bulgaria disappointed.

    A dogged performance with few of the hallmarks of manager Brendan Rodgers’ preferred way of playing brought an end to a four-match losing run and would have repaired some badly damaged confidence had it not been for that late lapse in the Vasil Levski National Stadium, their hosts’ home from home due to their own ground not meeting UEFA criteria.

    They did, however, show resilience to recover from goalkeeper Simon Mignolet’s third-minute blunder as Rickie Lambert scored his second in as many games before Jordan Henderson scored the vital second just before half-time, only for Georgi Terziev to nick an equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw at the death.

    A Mario Mandzukic hat-trick fired Atletico Madrid to the round of 16 after a 4-0 victory over Olympiakos

    The Rojiblancos were keen to make amends for their shock 3-2 defeat in Greece on the opening matchday, and made the perfect start to proceedings at the Vicente Calderon when Atletico youth team graduate Roberto Jimenez, now Olympiakos’ custodian, made a meal of a clearance with his feet and Juanfran was able to pick out Raul Garcia who slotted home with ease.

    Mandzukic, though, soon took centre stage with a goal on the 38th minute before a pair- of second half headers in the space of three minutes capped off a remarkable performance for the Croatia international.

    “Mario Mandzukic deserved his hat-trick tonight. He works hard for the team. We know that forwards live on making runs. We value the work he does every day, fighting and fighting,” Juanfran mused.

    Coach Diego Simeone also echoed the midfielder’s sentiments: ““We were wondering if Mandzukic would play. He’s done very well, scored, which is very important for a striker, but what matters is the team.”

    Meanwhile, Monaco will only need a draw in their final Champions League fixture to qualify after their narrow 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen with Lucas Ocampos striking late to seal the victory. Benfica now finds themselves eliminated from the tournament after losing 1-0 to Zenit, with Andre Villas-Boas’ side leaving it late to seal the victory.

    Juventus currently find themselves second in Group A after a both Llorente and Tevez struck to defeat Malmo 2-0, while Anderlecht have booked their spot in the Europa League after their 2-0 win over Galatasaray

    Recommended