Wenger finds cold comfort
PEOPLE were happily walking over the frozen and snow-covered Lake Storsjon yesterday around which Ostersund lies.
But Arsene Wenger had a few more worries navigating his way past the little town’s football team in the last 32, with the sub-zero temperatures and the artificial pitch.
The Frenchman’s team came through their sub-arctic test, though, thanks to goals from Nacho Monreal, a Sotirios Papagiannopoulos own-goal, and Mesut Ozil.
It was not particularly pretty, and not in the league of more glamorous wins by Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League this week, but it will do for Wenger, below.
The return leg at the Emirates – where the entire 50,000 population of Ostersund could comfortably fit inside – next week should be a formality, and a place in the last 16 secured, and that is now crucial for the Arsenal manager.
He named his strongest possible side, with the pressure on to qualify for next season’s Champions League via the Europa League.
Having played the youngsters in the group stages, suddenly Ozil was making his first appearance in the competition this season.
The 9,000-seater Jamtkraft Arena, with its 4G pitch, could have been a hazard for the Gunners. Temperatures had dropped to -4C by kick off, with the wind chill factor taking off another six degrees.
Snowdrifts more than eight feet high could be seen around the stadium, and people were skiing to the game. Could Arsenal, who have been known to wilt under testing conditions, do it on a freezing Thursday night in Sweden? The answer was that they could, but not after a few wobbles.
At the start, six Arsenal players were wearing tights, all but two donning gloves.
Ostersunds’ best-paid player earns about £2,000 a week, so the gulf in class and status was huge. And it showed early on.
Danny Welbeck should have given Arsenal the lead but headed wide from point-blank range and as Ostersunds began nervously with too many basic errors, Papagiannopoulos had to clear off the line from Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
But the Swedes were caught again when keeper Aly Keita dropped Alex Iwobi’s shot after a corner was not cleared and Monreal put in the rebound.
Mkhitaryan then saw his shot pushed away by Keita before, once again, the Ostersunds defence collapsed.
The ball was given away in their own penalty area and Mkhitaryan’s cross shot was deflected into his own net by Papagiannopoulos.
At this stage, it looked like being little more than a training-ground stroll for Wenger’s team, as they stroked the ball around. But then Arsenal relaxed and almost paid for it.
First Salisu Gero’s header was saved by David Ospina and then Calum Chambers gave the ball away, and the Arsenal keeper had to pull off a brilliant fingertip save from Saman Ghoddos’ volley.
Arsenal were suddenly under pressure. They were breaking dangerously but were overelaborating, with Welbeck a particular culprit. Ghoddos got clear again only to shoot wide of the post and Ostersunds, at first seemingly overawed despite wins over Galatasaray and Hertha Berlin earlier on in the competition, had found their feet. Not easy in more ways than one last night. But then came another defensive blunder and Arsenal’s nerves were settled just before the hour. Mkhitaryan crossed, Ozil found space and shot low, and his effort went through Keita to trickle over the line. In the
final minute Ostersunds should have had some reward for their efforts, as Hector Bellerin brought down Tesfaldet Tekie.
But Tom Pettersen’s penalty was too close to Ospina, who saved easily. Tricky underfoot it may have been, but Arsenal tiptoed through it.
OSTERSUNDS: (5-3-2): Keita; Mensah, Mukibi, Papagiannopoulos, Petterson, Widgren (Bergqvist 73); Edwards, Nouri (Hopcutt 46), Sema; Ghoddos, Gero (Tekie 46).
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina; Bellerin, Chambers, Mustafi, Monreal (Kolasinac 73); Elneny, Maitland-Niles; Iwobi, Ozil, Mkhitaryan (Nelson 84); Welbeck (Nketiah 83). Goals: Monreal 13, Papagiannopoulos 24 og, Ozil 58.
Referee: D Borbalan (Spain).