England, Germany and Spain qualify for U17 World Cup
expecting the Gunners usual frailties to come to the fore.
Instead the mercurial Alexis Sanchez and Giroud added further goals to secure an impressive victory for the fast-finishing Gunners.
“I believe when the team plays well we have individual talent and of course that always benefits from it,” Wenger added.
“When they scored the hand goal they made it rough. In the games like that when you go to Stoke you need at some stage to suffer, to stick together and that’s what we did.
“We survived a few corners and from then on at 3-1 it was game over. The physio told me he (Sanchez) wants to come off (with injury) but he is still a fighter and still found the resources to score an exceptional goal after.
“We just have to win our games now.”
Pep Guardiola is certain Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero can play together for Manchester City despite suggesting it was a disaster when they first linked up.
Guardiola surprisingly started with the fit-again Aguero on the bench as City moved a step closer to Champions League qualification by beating Leicester 2-1 at Eastlands on Saturday.
Third-placed City are three points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal with two games remaining as they battle for a top-four finish.
Jesus scored the penalty that put City two goals in front after David Silva had given them the lead with an effort that Leicester believed should have been disallowed for offside.
The Brazilian striker’s arrival from Palmeiras in January has cast doubt over Aguero’s longterm future at City, even though the Argentine has scored 31 goals this season.
The two forwards did start together for the 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough on April 30, but struggled initially before clicking, and they had 12 minutes alongside each other against Leicester after Aguero came on as a late substitute.
“They play at Middlesbrough together, and in the first half it was a disaster. The second half was much better. Both them have quality enough to see who wins the game for the side,” Guardiola said.
“Gabriel can play on the left side if Aguero is in the middle. They can do that. In Brazil, Gabriel plays most of the time in the left.
“Of course they can play together. It depends on their behaviour and mood.”
European football powerhouses England, Germany and Spain have qualified for the FIFA Under- 17 World Cup in India after the latest round of the UEFA U-17 European Championship in Croatia.
England beat Republic of Ireland 1-0 at Velika Gorica while Germany defeated the Netherlands 2-1 at Zapresic in U-17 EURO quarter-finals to book their berths. They join Spain and Turkey in qualifying for the prestigious FIFA tournament to be held in India from October 6 to 28.
The fifth and final European spot for India 2017 will be determined via a play-off between Hungary and France, the bestranked losing quarter-finalists, on May 16 in Zagreb.
In the semifinals on Tuesday, Spain will face Germany at Varazdin, while Turkey take on England at Zapresic.
For England and Germany, this would be their second consecutive U-17 World Cup appearance. For Germany, it would be their 10th overall.
Iran, Iraq, Japan and North Korea, besides hosts India have qualified from Asia, while Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay have done so from South America.
New Zealand and New Caledonia will represent Oceania while United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras will do so from CONCACAF, continental football Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbeans.
Star striker Sunil Chhetri is in doubt for India’s Asian Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan as well as the international friendly against Lebanon next month, according to his I-League club Bengaluru FC’s chief executive officer. In a letter sent to All India Football Federation complaining about the cramped scheduling of the ongoing Federation Cup in Cuttack, Bengaluru FC CEO Parth Jindal has blamed the fixture for Chhetri’s injury.