A moment of late inspiration from Ivan Perisic grabbed a late - and deserved - point for Borussia Dortmund in a raucous Westfalenstadion. While a late equaliser won't be easy to swallow, the primary emotion will surely be relief, as a draw was the least that the German Champions deserved.
1st Half
Dortmund showed exactly why their stormed the Bundesliga last season, imposing their high-tempo, one-touch game on Arsenal. For neutrals, the interplay between Mario Gotze and Shinji Kagawa was a joy to behold. After Mats Hummels made an excellent challenge to deny Gervinho, Dortmund missed two great openings, with first Kagawa, and then Kevin Grosskreutz firing over the bar.
More sumptuous play from Gotze put his centre-forward Robert Lewandowski in the clear. With the Arsenal back-line caught square, the Pole rounded Wojech Szczesny, only to be denied by a goalline clearance by Bacary Sagna.
As well as their slick passing, Arsenal struggled to find an answer to Dortmund high pressing. Similar to Barcelona, the Germans pressured the ball from the front, often hunting in packs. When Arsenal tried to use Gervinho and Theo Walcott to ease the pressure, the wide-men often had to beat three men just to find space. They failed to retain possession, and defended too high up the pitch, making it easier for Dortmund to play through them.
But completely against the run of play, Arsenal grabbed the lead as half-time approached. Robin Van Persie dispossessed the dozing Sebastian Kehl, and latched onto Theo Walcott's well-timed through ball. The captain missed an earlier chance when shooting too early, but didn't repeat that mistake, waiting for keeper Roman Weidenfeller to commit himself, before bending the ball into the net, and sending his side into a 1-0 lead at the break.
2nd Half
While their approach play left fans of the game drooling, Dortmund's final ball was often found wanting. Arsenal sensibly altered their defensive line, operating deeper, closing the space between the back four and Szczesny. Alex Song, who had hitherto found Gotze tough to handle, had a much improved second-half, twice slamming the door in the face of German football's new wunderkind. Arsenal showed a degree of game intelligence that has so often looked absent, as Song replicated the role that Sergio Busquets plays for Barcelona, and Jon Obi Mikel performs for Chelsea; at times playing as an auxiliary third centre-half.
However, Dortmund's energy levels were incredible. Whenever Arsenal had the ball, they were swamped by yellow shirts. One good chance for Gervinho aside, they barely got the ball out of their half, and were often reduced to clearing it aimlessly from danger. The problem seems to stem from the way Arsenal have played when Cesc Fabregas ised in the midfield. Fabregas was at the hub of everything, and now Arsenal look short of an effective game-plan without him. The squad is not lacking for technical skill, but need to tweak how to get the best out of the likes of Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun, who's impact was marginal. It should be said that Arsenal's deeper line was a boon for Per Metersacker, who did a good job keeping Lewandowski relatively quiet.
But with three minutes remaining, a Dortmund free-kick was headed clear by Kieran Gibbs, only to drop to substitute Perisic. Without letting the ball touch the ground, the Croatian struck the most wondrous of volleys that dipped into the top corner, sending the home support into raptures, and gave the Germans the point their performance had fully merited.
Szczesny, who was again quite marvellous, was needed in stoppage-time to preserve the point, as Lewandowski almost scored after some dreadful work from Laurent Koscielny.
Post-Match
Arsene Wenger - who watched from the stands as he served a touchline ban - pumped his fist as the final whistle went; a reaction that spoke volumes. He knew that this would be Arsenal's toughest test in Group F, and was more than happy with a point. The post-match interviews from Sagna and Szczesny mirrored this view.
Conclusion
Given Arsenal's woeful recent away record in the Champions League, and injuries to key players in Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, a draw is more than an acceptable return. Especially as Group F looks to be one where all four sides will take points off each other, it's probably the respective home records that will determine who qualifies for the knockout stages. As long as Arsenal defeat Olympiakos at The Emirates in a fortnight, they should be well on course to stay in the competition after the New Year. But with Fabregas and Samir Nasri now gone, they need to find a way to consistently threaten sides when attacking.
Man Of The Match
Wojech Szczesny: He is fast becoming a leader in this side, and has been the club's best player in the troublesome early weeks of the season. Once again, he was solid on crosses, helped organise the defence, and made crucial saves from Lewandowski, and a point-blank block from Hummels to make sure Arsenal went back home with a share of the spoils.
ARSENAL (4-3-3)
Szczesny - 8, Sagna - 7, Mertesacker - 7, Koscielny - 6, Gibbs - 6, Song - 7, Benayoun - 5, Arteta - 5, Walcott - 5 (Frimpong - 6), Van Persie - 6 (Chamakh - 85 min), Gervinho - 7 (A.Santos - 85 min)
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