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Ramsey Caps Off Group Stage With Wonder Goal

Match Review: Galatasaray 1-4 Arsenal - Champions League - 09/12/14

The match on Tuesday was effectively a dead rubber, with Arsenal and Dortmund both through and Dortmund all but guaranteed the top spot. But following the weekend debacle at Stoke, this game took on a greater significance as we aimed to recover from yet another set back in this trying season. While Wenger rotated heavily for the tie, it was still a good win for a team that has come in for a lot of stick.

Wenger took the unusual step of naming his starting line up the day before the game and handed rare starts to Podolski, Sanogo, Campbell and Bellerin and also returns for Szczesny and Debuchy following injury. We lined up with Chamberlain in the number 10 role in front of Ramsey and Flamini. Bellerin played at left back with Podolski on the left wing and it was from there that the German gave us the lead. Ramsey found Podolski with an incisive pass inside the full back and Podolski had time and space. Despite an acute angle, the winger did what he does best and simply thundered the ball into the net before the goalkeeper could understand what had happened. A strike that may have been born out of the frustration of an extended run on the bench.

A mere seven minutes later and the provider turned finisher, after Podolski won the ball back in midfield. Chamberlain did the hard work with a mazy run through the centre of the pitch and he managed to poke the ball off to Ramsey before he was taken out by a defender. Ramsey kept calm and rolled the ball into the far corner. The whole thing had a bit of a training ground feel to it, as the Arsenal players seemed to realise that Galatasaray were not going to present much of challenge and I think the home side knew it too.

However, despite the relaxed and easy paced nature of the game, no one would have expected the quality of the next goal. It came from an Arsenal corner and though it was a typically ineffective set piece for us, headed away with ease by the defender, the ball sailed into the path of Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman hit the ball from 30 yards, from barely an inch off the ground and with his weak foot, a combination that should have made a goal nearly impossible. Yet players and fans alike watched on in astonishment as the ball flew like a Exocet missile beyond the despairing goalkeeper and into top left hand corner. The reactions of the players said it all, as Sanogo turned in open mouthed astonishment, Flamini applauded and Szczesny, who had a brilliant view from his goal, put his hands behind his head in disbelief. Ramsey himself just jogged away with faint smile. What a guy.

ramsey galatasaray

At half time, Ramsey was withdrawn with a tight hamstring and Flamini, who'd been booked for the softest foul imaginable, was also substituted. This allowed youngsters Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Gedion Zelalem to take the field with Maitland-Niles moving into Flamini's holding midfield role and Zelalem into the number 10 role. The changes shifted the balance of power towards the home side and they had much the better of the second half. The two youngsters gave a decent account of themselves but are both clearly raw and inexperienced. Galatasaray grew into the game and as it got towards the last 20 minutes, it was almost a siege on our goal. Eventually, despite some desperate defending and a few slices of luck, the home side did get their goal as Sneijder rifled a stunning free kick into the same corner as Ramsey from just outside the box. Despite that, there was still just a enough time for Podolski to bundle his way through the home defence and roll his second past the keeper with the last kick of the game.

As expected, Dortmund got the necessary result to ensure top spot in the group and despite our easy win, we had to settle for second. It's very frustrating, as the second half collapse against Anderlecht has bitten us and more than likely condemned us to an impossible last 16 tie. Bayern, Barça, Real and Atletico are all potential opponents along with the more enticing prospects of Monaco and Porto. However, Arsenal luck dictates that we are almost certainly going to draw one of the first four and be humbled in the first leg before a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful performance in the second.

But even if we did avoid one of the giants and squeezed through into the quarter finals, it would only be delaying the inevitable. Our defence is in a state that would have the Madrid or Barça forward line quivering with excitement, meaning our chances of winning the competition are pretty much non existent. Still, it's not something we have to worry about until February and we now must turn our attention to repairing our disastrous form in the league.

Teams

Galatasaray (4-2-3-1)
Bolat, Camdal (Y) (Altintop 45'), Kaya (Y), Balta, Telles, Bruma (Adin 77'), Melo (Y), Colak, Sneijder, Yilmaz (Oztekin 45'), Bulut
Subs
Altintop, Oztekin, Adin, Kurtulus, Iscan, Sari, Ozcal

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Szczesny, Debuchy (Y) (O'Connor), Chambers, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Flamini (Y) (Maitland-Niles 45'), Ramsey (Zelalem 45'), Podolski (Y), Chamberlain, Campbell, Sanogo
Subs
Martinez, O'Connor, Zelalem, Maitland-Niles, Akpom, Iwobi, Kamara

Player Ratings

Szczesny - 7/10 - A good return to the first team
Debuchy - 7/10 - A very welcome returnee to a beleaguered defence and did well
Chambers - 7/10 - Bounced back well in slightly hairy last 20 minutes
Mertesacker - 7/10 - Having a tough season but did well in this game
Bellerin - 7/10 - Played well in an unfamiliar position and only his 4th start
Flamini - 7/10 - Had a solid 45 before he was harshly booked and subbed
Ramsey - 9/10 - Ran the game and scored the one of the great CL goals
Podolski - 7/10 - Started brilliantly but became a bit anonymous in the second half
Chamberlain - 8/10 - Very impressive in a slightly different role
Campbell - 6/10 - Showed some flashes but struggled to get involved
Sanogo - 6/10 - Struggled to get involved and had a quiet game
Subs
Zelalem - 6/10 - Also didn't get into the game, although showed some flashes of talent
Maitland-Niles - 6/10 - Struggled against more experienced midfielders, but it will be valuable experience
O'Connor - 6/10 - Played out of position in the middle of the home side's siege, some welcome!

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Tags: Match Report, Mathieu Debuchy

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