Champions League: Arsenal stun Dortmund to lift Euro bid
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 0 vs ARSENAL 1
JUBILANT Arsene Wenger hailed Arsenal after they became the first English team to win at Borussia Dortmund for 49 years – then urged them to prove more doubters wrong at Manchester United on Sunday.
In-form midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s second-half header – his 11th goal this season – downed last year’s Champions League finalists and earned the Gunners a 14th away victory from 15 fixtures.
They can now qualify for the knockout stage if they better Dortmund’s result on the next matchday, but first boss Wenger wants to prove it was no fluke by beating the Premier League champions this weekend.
“It’s a huge win. If you look at the results they have made at home in the Champions League, not many teams have achieved that,” he said of a result that avenged the Germans’ 2-1 win in London last month.
“I just hope it strengthens the belief of my team that we can put in another great performance. We have another massive game on Sunday, and we want that kind of performance again.”
Arsenal travelled to Germany to face a team who had won seven consecutive home European matches buoyed by Saturday’s defeat of fellow pace-setters Liverpool, but knowing how pivotal this result could be.
The first half provided several warnings of Dortmund’s rapier-like counter-attacking, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored in that win at Emirates Stadium, spurning the best chance by side-footing wide.
Jurgen Klopp’s men looked the likelier to score after the break, seeing two goals disallowed for clear offsides, yet it was Arsenal who went ahead on 62 minutes following swift work by Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky.
Record buy Mesut Ozil hoisted a hopeful cross that forward Olivier Giroud did manfully to head across goal and Ramsey, arriving late, held off his marker to nod home.
Marco Reus seemed sure to level but air-kicked inside the six-yard area while Ramsey’s chest down and shot was deflected by the legs of Roman Weidenfeller’s, and Arsenal held off an increasingly resigned Dortmund to the delight of 3,300 travelling fans.