Ostersunds 0-3 Arsenal: Gunners Make Easy Work Of Swedish Club
Arsenal strolled home to a 3-0 win over Swedish side Ostersunds FK in the first leg of their round-of-32 clash of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.
Gunners were off the blocks quickly and took the lead only 13 minutes into the game through Nacho Monreal, who reacted the fastest to convert a rebound from Alex Iwobi’s saved effort. Not very long after, Arsenal went two ahead, courtesy of a Sotirios Papagiannopoulos own goal. Just before the hour mark, Mesut Ozil added a third goal for the North Londoners, in his first Europa League appearance of the season.
Here’s how the Arsenal stars fared on the night:
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Ospina – 7.5/10
Made a couple of decent stops from Nouri and Ghoddos in the first period. Protected his clean sheet with an easy stop of a penalty late in the game.
Hector Bellerin – 6/10
Had a hit-and-a-miss kind of a night, as he did some things really well, getting forward with intent, but wasn’t always reliable at the back and gave away a late penalty.
Calum Chambers – 6.5/10
The former Southampton starlet had a fairly solid game in the heart of the defence. Made a number of important blocks and played the ball out from the back well, apart from a couple of misplaced passes.
Shkodran Mustafi – 6/10
Made a strong tackle on Ghoddos early in the game. Was tested on a few occasions but came out on top and put on a decent display at the back. Did get away with a close penalty shout.
Nacho Monreal – 7/10
Continued his impressive form in front of goal, as he opened the scoring for the visitors. Was exposed at the back on a few occasions but held it together.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6.5/10
Given a rare outing in his preferred central midfield role, the youngster kept it quite simple and shielded his back four to a good extent.
Mohamed Elneny – 7/10
Used the ball very well, spraying passes forward and controlling the tempo of the game. Did not have a lot of defensive work to do, given that his side bossed the possession.
Alex Iwobi – 6/10
His shot was saved, leading to Monreal’s rebound effort for the first goal. Showed a few good moments but there were plenty that left the fans frustrated, with his use of possession and decision making somewhat questionable at times.
Mesut Ozil – 7.5/10
Wasn’t at his best in his first appearance in the competition but showed quality when needed, playing some delectable passes and topping it off with a goal after the break.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 7.5/10
Was off to a lively start, playing some fine passes and having a go at the goal. His cross/shot was diverted into goal by Papagiannopoulos for Arsenal’s second. Set Ozil up for the third goal.
Danny Welbeck – 4/10
Given a rare chance to lead the line, the Englishman failed to make the most of it. Wasteful in front of goal, dodgy decision-making, it was a frustrating night for Welbeck.
Substitutes
Sead Kolasinac – N/A
Replaced Monreal in the 73rd minute.
Eddie Nketiah – N/A
On for Welbeck with less than 10 mins left to play.
Reiss Nelson – N/A
Came on for Mkhitaryan in the dying stages.
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