Arsenal’s unbeaten Europa League run is over, but they’ve still won their group with a game to spare after Red Star Belgrade’s draw with Bate Borisov. That means Arsene Wenger can play his third string against Bate next month. Cologne go level on six points with second-placed Red Star; Bate are bottom with five points. Intriguing. Looking at the replays, Wenger won’t be happy with Cologne’s penalty. He might want to ask a few questions, too, of his reserve players after this defeat to the Bundesliga’s bottom side, though. They haven’t done themselves many favours tonight. That’s all from me. The mystery prize was knowing you’ve given the Guardian a few precious clicks. Suckers. Bye.
Per Mertesacker of Arsenal and teammates dejected after defeat to Cologne. Photograph: Stephenson/JMP/REX/Shutterstock
90 min: Red Star Belgrade have drawn 0-0 with Bate Borisov, meaning that Arsenal will win the group even if they don’t find an equaliser in the next four minutes.
89 min: Reiss Nelson dribbles brilliantly through the middle, weaving past a couple of challenges, but his shot is pushed away by Timo Horner. Wilshere picks up possession and, inspired by Nelson, drives through on the left. His cutback bounces off Nketiah, then a defender and dribbles just wide!
82 min: Eddie Nketiah will be on soon. “Arsenal’s second string are abject tonight,” says Luke Forrester. “You’d think they’d be seizing the opportunity to impress with both hands. What a listless performance. Don’t worry lads -- save yourselves for the important games which you won’t be playing in.”
78 min: Jannes Horn is actually the player who’s in greater need of treatment. He’s off the pitch as Wilshere takes Arsenal’s corner from the right. It’s headed away and Horn comes back on. He looks uncomfortable, but the hosts have made three changes already.
76 min: A long ball over the the top from the rejuvenated Wilshere finds Giroud, who’s onside. His touch is poor, though, allowing Timo Horn and Jannis Horn to converge upon the striker to deny him, conceding a corner in the process. Timo Horn needs some treatment after that collision.
63 min: Arsene Wenger has had a rueful chat with the fourth official, but there’s no changing what’s happened: Arsenal are in a game and the stadium is bouncing!
Guirassy is Cologne’s top scorer this season - he has ... three goals. But he takes this penalty confidently, slamming it high down the middle as Ospina dives to his left. The home fans erupt!
Sehrou Guirassy scores the opening goal from the penalty spot. Photograph: Sascha Steinbach/EPA
61 min: Cologne have stepped it up in the past few minutes and here’s their reward! Guirassy plays a one-two with Jojic, bursts into the area and makes the most of some clumsy contact from Debuchy, going down convincingly enough to make the referee’s mind up!
Sehrou Guirassy sits on the pitch after a foul by Arsenal’s Mathieu Debuchy. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP
60 min: A loose clearing header falls to Jojic, who knocks it through to Guirassy. He’s got space on the edge of the area, but he scuffs a dismal shot straight at Ospina.
45 min+2: “Greetings from Cologne! (I am not an Arsenal fan, I just live here),” says Shaun Wilkinson. “Regarding Welbeck, I think he is a good player, but I am not sure he will get in the World Cup squad. He is unlikely to be a regular first choice player for Arsenal I think, and as Gareth Southgate said, to be picked for England these days you have to be playing regular football for your club, like Dominic Solanke.”
45 min: Elneny shoots well over from 30 yards. You’d think he doesn’t have much longer at Arsenal. I know mediocrity doesn’t necessarily get punished that quickly there, but what is he bringing to the party?
43 min: Timo Horn punches Elneny’s free-kick away.
@JacobSteinberg sure, Welbeck would get a spot on my WC squad if he had a good long run. Only problem is that the next thing to happen would be an injury after that run, most likely just in time for the WC... so, I guess not.
38 min: Cordoba is having a stinker. He loses possession on the right after dithering on the ball, drawing an angry rebuke from the crowd, then fouls Maitland-Niles. Cologne have been playing with 10 men for the last few minutes. But Konstantin Rausch is finally ready to come on for the stricken Dominic Maroh.
Dominic Maroh of FC Koeln is off injured. Photograph: Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images
35 min: Welbeck’s cross flashes across the face of goal. Cologne have a problem. Well, they have lots of problems. But this particular one is the sight of Maroh, their captain, down with a hamstring injury.
33 min: The Cologne fans are creating a deafening din. Imagine what they’d be like if their team was any good. As it is, Arsenal look increasingly threatening. They go close again here, but Welbeck’s improvised flick dribbles just wide.
30 min: Giroud scoops a pass inside from the left, finding Coquelin, who bursts into the area, just like Steven Gerrard, only to thrash the bouncing ball against the base of the right post and behind for a goal-kick.
29 min: Maitland-Niles, who looks assured, stands up a cross to the far post from the left byline, but Chambers doesn’t make clean contact with his volley. Chambers started as a midfielder at Southampton, but he doesn’t convince as a right wing-back.
24 min: “Welbeck would be in front of Lingard for me, but can’t see him getting into a front two, which appears to Southgate’s game plan at the moment,” says Stuart Morphet. “Kane, Vardy and Rashford all well ahead of him.”
But you’d imagine he’ll take four strikers. If nothing else, Welbeck’s workrate makes him a handy option. Plus you’ll remembering him playing very well in the cup final.
Lukas Kluenter (R) in action with Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA
18 min: “I for one am impressed by how Arsenal can put out a completely different team with 9 players who have represented their countries, and Walcott and Iwobi are not even taking part,” says Richard Arthur. “Any news on Walcott, by the way?”
14 min: A loose ball ricochets to Coquelin, who spanks a venomous shot just wide from 25 yards. “With today’s “entertainment” serving as inspiration, what football match that you have had to watch professionally or otherwise was the most mundane possible proposition?” says Zack Gomperts. “Not, a crap tie that turned out good, but the most grey possible example of football’s overabundance.”
David Moyes 0-0 Jose Mourinho was appalling in August 2013.
12 min: Maitland-Niles twists and turns on the left, almost bursting past his man and into the area, but Sorensen steps across to mop up. Cologne break down the right, taking advantage of the space vacated by Maitland-Niles, but Cordoba wastes possession.
6 min:Cologne attack for the first time, Cordoba steaming clear down the right. He crosses, to no one in particular and not very well - to the extent that the ball’s heading into the far corner until the diving Ospina claws it wide. The corner comes to nothing.
4 min: “Oh oh oh!” says Zack Gomperts. “I love a mystery! A t-shirt with your face printed on it!? A mug with, I Watched A Meaningless Europa League Group Tie and All Guardian Media Gave Me Was This Stupid Mug? A peak at the official media bias guide to which all football journalists must strictly abide? A ticket to your new stand up special Jacob and the Steinbergs? I HAVE TO KNOW!”
2 min: Arsenal are quick to storm forward, Welbeck finding Wilshere, who instantly carves Cologne open with a pass through to Maitland-Niles. Through on goal, the wing-back sees his goalbound shot turned behind by Horn, who proceeds to claim Elneny’s corner.
Peep! Arsenal, in blue and white, get the game underway in a rollocking atmosphere. They’re kicking from left to right in the first half. Cologne are in red.
The teams are out. The stadium is impressively packed and noisy given Cologne’s perilous position after an awful start to the season. The Germans are missing a through key players through injury, but a win tonight will maintain their slim hopes of reaching the knockout phase.
“Great that there’s a prize,” says Charles Antaki. “I assume it’s some fancy goods, in time for Christmas stockings, so it’ll be either Eau de Cologne, or er, Water of Arsenal?”
Hello. With Cologne no doubt braced for an invasion of ticketless Arsenal fans, it’s bound to be another cracking night of Europa League fun. The Germans can still go through despite being bottom of the group, but they arguably have bigger things to think about given that they’re also propping up the Bundesliga table. Arsenal, meanwhile, have already sealed their progress and have left Claude, Ty and Troopz the big hitters at home in order to give the reserves a runout. Hmm. It’s going to be terrible, isn’t it. So it’s just as well that everyone who sticks with this MBM right through to the bitter end receives a MYSTERY PRIZE.
