Arsenal suffer damaging defeat to Olympiakos in Champions League
Stand-in goalkeeper David Ospina had a night to forget as Arsenal slumped to a 3-2 home defeat against Olympiakos on Wednesday to leave their Champions League hopes in jeopardy.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had warned his side they already faced a must-win tie following their opening Group F loss at Dinamo Zagreb.
The Premier League side were behind against the run of play on 32 minutes when a low shot from Felipe Pardo deflected off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Although Theo Walcott netted a quick equaliser,...
Arsenal 2 Olympiacos 3: Super-sub Finnbogason punishes sloppy hosts
Arsenal were beaten for a second time in the Champions League as substitute Alfred Finnbogason settled a five-goal thriller.
Substitute Alfred Finnbogason was the match-winner for Olympiacos as his strike condemned Arsenal to a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Arsene Wenger's side remain pointless in Group F as they had nothing to show for their efforts despite twice equalising as suspect defending and a calamitous David Ospina error helped ensure Olympiacos their first win on English soil.
Theo Walcott was picked to replace the suspended Olivier Giroud and the England international looked to have ensured Arsenal parity at the break, having cancelled out Felipe Pardo's 33rd-minute opener.
However, Ospina inexplicably dropped Kostas Fortounis' corner behind the line five minutes before half-time - the goalkeeper having been selected ahead of regular number one Petr Cech.
Walcott turned provider for Alexis Sanchez to equalise for a second time shortly after the hour but Arsenal were again caught flat-footed as the visitors broke from kick-off - Finnbogason making his impact off the bench with a well-taken finish from close range.
It leaves Arsenal's hopes of progression looking gloomy, while the severity of the injury that forced Laurent Koscielny off could add further frustration for Wenger - who will face difficult questions on his goalkeeping selection on the eve of the 19th anniversary of his appointment in north London.
Arsenal began the brighter and showed pace on the counter when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain found the side-netting inside the penalty area after nine minutes.
The forward was one of five to come in for the hosts alongside Ospina and the Arsenal goalkeeper was called on soon after to collect a dangerous delivery from Fortounis that almost looped in.
Fortounis dragged a shot wide after 21 minutes as Olympiacos grew into the game before taking the lead.
The unmarked Pardo collected a corner and guided his shot on target, with a deflection off Oxlade-Chamberlain deceiving a helpless Ospina en route to the far corner.
Walcott levelled within three minutes, latching onto Sanchez's pass and finishing past Roberto Jimenez, who made contact with the effort but failed to keep it out. The Olympiacos goalkeeper should perhaps have done better but Ospina's howler proved the final talking point of an entertaining half.
The Colombian was caught out by an inswinging Fortounis delivery and, having recovered to collect the ball, spilled it behind the line as the goal-line official eventually gave the goal amid protests from the home side.
The hosts' difficulties continued after the break when Koscielny limped off with an apparent hamstring problem following a slide tackle on Pardo before the hour mark.
Following Aaron Ramsey's introduction, Arsenal came close to levelling again - Mertesacker's effort save by Jimenez before Santi Cazorla's follow-up was blocked on the line as the hosts eventually gained reward for their pressure.
Sanchez appeared to have lifted the sullen atmosphere at the Emirates when he glanced home Walcott's cross but slack play once again saw Arsenal slip behind - Esteban Cambiasso finding Pardo, who crossed for Finnbogason to finish.
Despite late pressure from their side, home fans saw Arsenal slip bottom of the group ahead of a clash with Bayern Munich while Marco Silva's men claimed an away win in the Champions League for the first time in two years.
Arsenal are in danger of being eliminated from the Champions League group stage for the first time in 16 successive European campaigns after a shock defeat by Olympiakos.
Theo Walcott's low finish cancelled out Felipe Pardo's deflected opener, before home goalkeeper David Ospina fumbled the ball over his own line.
Alexis Sanchez headed level but, 59 seconds later, Alfred Finnbogason stabbed the visitors ahead.
The Gunners are bottom of Group F.
They lost their Champions League opener in Dinamo Zagreb and, without a point after two matches, still have Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich to play twice in the group.
The Gunners will argue Ospina's error from a corner had not crossed the line, with the official behind the goal controversially signalling the goal, but Arsene Wenger's side were defensively poor throughout.
Arsenal's hopes of Champions League progress are in serious jeopardy after they slumped to their second successive group stage loss at home to Olympiakos.
Arsene Wenger's side knew nothing other than victory would do after defeat by Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia in their opening game - and with two meetings with group favourites Bayern Munich still to come.
Instead it was a dreadful night for Arsenal, who must now become the first team since Galatasaray in 2012-13 to lose their first two group games and still reach the knockout stage.
The Gunners' display was summed up by the wretched first-half own goal conceded by David Ospina - preferred to Petr Cech in goal - when he dropped Kostas Fortounis's corner into his own net after Theo Walcott equalised Felipe Pardo's deflected shot.
Alexis Sanchez gave Arsenal hope with a 65th-minute header only for Alfred Finnbogason to restore Olympiakos's lead within a minute.
Wenger's keeper calamity
When Arsene Wenger persuaded Chelsea to sell them goalkeeper Petr Cech, the theory behind his arrival was that the 33-year-old's experience, wisdom and acquaintance with success would make the difference in the big games.
So what sense did it make for Wenger to leave Cech on the bench and select his deputy Ospina for a game where Arsenal simply could not risk any mistakes or the concession of cheap goals?
Forget talk about any slight injury to Cech. He was fit enough to take his place on the bench so surely fit enough to start a game of this significance.
Fate was tempted - and could not resist as the hapless Colombian dropped a harmless corner from Fortounis into his own net just before half-time after Walcott had brought Arsenal back into it with an equaliser.
Wenger's decision was laced with high-risk - and in the context of Arsenal's hopes of making progress in the Champions League a risk not worth taking, as well as a serious error of judgement.
Will Arsenal ever learn?
Arsenal's defensive naivety was best encapsulated by the manner they went out to a very average Monaco side in the last 16 of last season's Champions League.
The Gunners pulled a goal back to make the score 2-1 in injury time in the first leg - then promptly rushed forward like lemmings in search of an equaliser, only to concede the decisive third goal that effectively put them out.
The question now is will they ever learn? Will they ever cure the defensive frailty and general vulnerability that leaves them exposed at this level?
Arsenal were victims of a deflection and a crass goalkeeping error for Olympiakos's first two goals - but the soft underbelly was on show again for the third, so easily unpicked as Finnbogason steered in the winner.
They simply did not show the maturity or composure to settle themselves. And if they cannot do that by now you have to wonder when they ever will.
Sanchez and Walcott only bright sparks
Amid a night of unrelenting gloom, the only shafts of light for Arsenal and their supporters were Walcott and Sanchez.
The Englishman continued his development as a striker with another goal, his second in successive Champions League games after scoring his 12th in 13 Premier League matches at Leicester City on Saturday.
Sanchez scored a hat-trick at Leicester and he was lively throughout, heading the second equaliser only to see Olympiakos score their third almost immediately.
In reality, this is to clutch at straws because this was a desperate Arsenal display elsewhere.
Man of the match: Alexis Sanchez
The stats you need to know
- Olympiakos had lost their previous 12 away games against English teams in European competition, scoring only three goals and conceding 37
- Arsenal have lost six of their last 12 Champions League home games
- The Gunners have been knocked out at the last-16 stage in the last five campaigns
- Arsenal have lost their first two Champions League matches for the first time
- The last team to qualify from the Champions League group stage after losing their first two matches was Galatasaray in 2012-13. Only nine have done it in the competition history.
- Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League second stage in the past 15 seasons
- Between 2003-04 and 2011-12, the most English defeats in a CL group stage was five, which we have already seen this season
What next?
Arsenal face the visit of Premier League leaders Manchester United on Sunday. In the Champions League their next two matches are against Bayern Munich
MATCH STATISTICS
LINEUP, BOOKINGS (7) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)
Arsenal
- 13 Ospina
- 24 Bellerín (Campbell - 86' )
- 05 Gabriel Booked
- 06 Koscielny (Mertesacker - 57' )
- 03 Gibbs
- 19 Cazorla
- 34 Coquelin (Ramsey - 60' )
- 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 11 Özil Booked
- 17 Sánchez Booked
- 14 Walcott
Substitutes
- 02 Debuchy
- 04 Mertesacker
- 16 Ramsey
- 18 Monreal
- 21 Chambers
- 28 Campbell
- 33 Cech
Olympiakos
- 16 Jimenez Gago Booked
- 14 Elabdellaoui
- 03 Botia
- 23 Siovas
- 30 Salino
- 91 Cambiasso Booked
- 11 Kasami
- 90 Pardo
- 07 Fortounis Booked (Vouros - 87' )
- 92 de Freita Couto Júnior (Santos Fortes - 73' )
- 99 Ideye (Finnbogason - 45' Booked )
Substitutes
- 09 Finnbogason
- 10 Dominguez
- 17 Pulido
- 26 Masuaku
- 29 Vouros
- 37 Kapino
- 77 Santos Fortes
Ref: Bas Nijhuis
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