UK Edition
Ostersunds 0 Arsenal 3: Arsene Wenger's decision to play strong side pays off as tie is settled within an hour
With bowed heads, chattering teeth and enough pairs of tights to stage their own production of Swan Lake, Arsenal’s freezing players did not have the look of archetypal fairytale villains as they emerged into the night in Sweden’s ‘Winter City’.
They did, however, play the part to perfection. There was no sympathy for the romance of this Ostersunds FK journey, no consideration for their English manager, and no chance Arsene Wenger’s side would be prevented from thawing out this two-legged tie in under an hour.
“We won in a comfortable way,” said Wenger, who had made his intentions clear by naming a team that included Mesut Ozil for the first time in the Europa League. The competition has now been their likeliest route into the Champions League, so this was no occasion for needless risks, particularly in a city so cold that roads are pisted rather than built.
It was akin to parachuting the special forces into action, and the decision paid off. Ozil strutted and scored, adding a third to an early strike by Nacho Monreal and an own goal from Ostersunds defender Sotirios Papagiannopoulos.
Only a late penalty awarded to the home side threatened to leave what Wenger said would have been a “bitter taste”, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, captain on the night, saved Tom Pettersson’s weak effort.
At times, the Ostersunds players would have been forgiven for feeling a little starstruck. Graham Potter’s disparate outfit, made up of misfits and rejects, have defied both logic and footballing convention to journey this deep into European competition. Three promotions and a Swedish Cup victory have set pulses racing in this isolated corner of Sweden, as have the squad’s famous theatrical productions.
Potter, in short, has turned a sideshow into a passion. A team that did not even exist when Wenger took over as Arsenal manager has become an integral part of a city so tightly-knit that its population that would not even fill the Emirates Stadium.
None of this will be reversed by a thrashing at the hands of Arsenal’s international stars and World Cup winners. But it will serve as a reality check as much as a footballing lesson.
“We weren’t ourselves,” said Potter of his side’s disappointing first-half performance. “We thought we could do a few things tactically, but we couldn’t. It was a big occasion for the players in terms of nerves and excitement.
“The important thing is to put this into context. For Ostersunds to play Arsenal in the last 32 of the Europa League, and to have kids looking at the game and seeing world class stars in this arena, is a sort of victory for us to celebrate.”
Such was Arsenal’s dominance that Shkrodran Mustafi, one of only two visiting players to have braved the conditions without gloves, had cooled down enough after 20 minutes that he had to request a pair from the Arsenal bench.
Potter had not disagreed with pre-match suggestions that the contrast in size between the two clubs had given the evening a flavour similar to an FA Cup third-round tie, although he did point out that most minnows would not have already beaten Galatasary and Hertha Berlin in the competition.
For all that this was a fair point, and for all that Ostersunds deserved to be here, the contest certainly had an unbalanced feel. Arsenal quickly set up camp not just in the Ostersunds half, but in the final third of it. Danny Welbeck headed wide in the first few minutes, while a panicked Ostersunds defence had twice played themselves into trouble before Monreal tapped in the opener following Alex Iwobi’s blocked shot.
The home side lost the ball cheaply in the build-up to Arsenal’s second, which was bundled in by the unfortunate Papagiannopoulos after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had whipped a cross towards goal.
Ostersunds did at last push forward before half-time, with Saman Ghoddos twice drawing saves from Ospina before Ken Sema fired a free-kick on target.
That, though, was largely as good as it got until stoppage time. Arsenal turned down the heat in the second half, seemingly happy to control rather than probe. Still, there was enough forward momentum for Ozil to notch a third with a shot that trickled beneath home goalkeeper Aly Keita.
A glimmer of hope eventually presented itself for Potter’s side as Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin brought down Tesfaldet Tekie inside the penalty box at the death. Up stepped Ostersunds defender Pettersson, but his tame effort was easily saved by Ospina, allowing Arsenal to return home shivering but unscathed.
GOOOOOOAALLL!! Ozil makes it 3-0 to Arsenal!
Ostersunds have a tame penalty shout waved away, and Arsenal straight up the other end to add to their lead.
It's an impressive move as they pass their way towards goal. Mkhitaryan drifts out to the left, then drills a pass in to Ozil just in side the area. He takes a touch and then shoots at goal - it goes in via a small deflection off the sliding Widgren and Keita's hand.
Half time
Arsenal were never really going to be troubled by Ostersunds, and they are in complete control of this tie at 2-0 up after two early goals.
But if the Swedes hadn't taken so long to wake up, we might actually have had a game here. They took 28 minutes to complete a pass in the Arsenal half, but after that they had a few decent chances and played some nice football, too. Arsenal weren't completely comfortable for the last 15 minutes of that half, but they are realistically already way out of sight.
GOOALLL!! Ostersunds 0-1 Arsenal (Monreal)
Nacho Monreal scores again, and it makes up for a terrible miss just moments earlier from Mkhitaryan.
Arsenal pounce on an error as Ostersunds try to play out from the back, and Welbeck tries to go around keeper Keita, but he gets a hand to it. The ball falls to Mkhitaryan, who has an open goal to slot into, but Papagiannopoulos slides in to clear.
Arsenal come again, though, and Iwobi dances past a couple of challenges before shooting low across goal. Keita gets down to it well but spills it, and Monreal is there to tap in.
9 mins
A bit of a mix up as Mukiibi heads up in the air and then lets the ball bounce in his own box. Welbeck nips in to nick the ball and almost gets a shot off, but it is scrambled half clear.
The ball works its way to Maitland-Niles who has tiptoed into the box. He digs out a cross from the right and Welbeck wins the header in the middle but can't quite direct it goalwards.
6 mins
Arsenal's intricate passing bears no fruit, and Ostersunds clear. They break down the left with Ghoddos just losing a foot race with Mustafi, who dives in to clear. It looks like he plays the ball off the forward and wins a throw - the referee obliges, but the home fans and Ghoddos want a free-kick and yellow card. Replays are inconclusive.
Our man Sam Dean is at the game
Here's what he has to say on the challenge ahead for Arsenal:
The mercury is reading -4, but we're told that the temperature feels considerably lower because of the swirling winds here in Ostersund. Some of the locals have even turned up wearing their ski gear.
The pitch could be a real factor here. It's an artificial surface, but nothing like the sort we usually get in the UK. There are none of the black, gritty sandy bits you get on British 4Gs. Instead, it's more like a green carpet. Will be interesting to see how quickly the Arsenal players adjust.
So, why is Mkhitaryan wearing 77?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not wearing No 7 tonght - instead he will have 77 on his back. BUT WHY???
It's pretty simple - he inherited No 7 from Alexis Sanchez, who played against Cologne for Arsenal in the group stage. Uefa don't allow two players to wear the same shirt number in a season, so Mkhi has opted for 77 for European competition.
Teams in full
Ostersunds: Keita, Mukibim Pettersson, Papagiannopoulos, Widgren, Edwards, Nouri (c), Mensah, Sema, Gero, Ghoddos
Subs: Andersson, Tekie, Bergqvist, Hopcutt, Aiesh, Sonko Sundberg, Islamovic
Arsenal: Ospina (c), Bellerin, Chambers, Mustafi, Monreal, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Welbeck
Subs: Macey, Holding, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Nelson, Nketiah, Willock
Preview
Wenger questions rule over Aubameyang exclusion
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has questioned UEFA's 'cup-tied' rule that prevents striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from playing for the north London outfit in the Europa League this campaign, saying that it "doesn't make sense".
Aubameyang, who joined Arsenal last month, played for former club Borrusia Dortmund in the Champions League earlier this season and the cup-tied rule prevents the 28-year-old from representing his new club in Europe for the rest of the season.
The rule leaves Danny Welbeck and Eddie Nketiah as Wenger's only striking options for the Europa League last-32 tie against Ostersunds, starting with the first leg on Thursday, as French striker Alexandre Lacazette is sidelined with a knee injury.
"Unanimously, I believe that all the clubs agree now this rule has to disappear in Europe," Wenger told a news conference on Wednesday.
"Especially because, for example, he played Dortmund, Dortmund has been reversed in the Europa League and he cannot play.
"When you look at the transfer amounts you spend now, that you have to spend 50, 60, 70 million pounds ($98.19 million) in the middle of the season, that the players cannot play doesn't make sense."
The Frenchman praised Ostersunds manager Graham Potter, who has helped the Swedish club progress from the fourth division to the Europa League knockout stages.