'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAnn//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAABP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAjEAAAAwYHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABAUGESIHEhQhMjOT/9oACAEBAAE/AHWQIOaGjqkxKr1gZIpBpUgXcQ3qxsPpbzDe9+Kbf//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwRC/9oACAECAQE/AFbmWj//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAL/2gAIAQMBAT8AdLf/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal had a difficult start to their Champions League campaign for the second year running as they slumped to a disappointing 2-1 loss against Croatian side Dynamo Zagreb. The Croatian 'Invincibles', who were unbeaten in their last 41 games, disposed off their English counterparts with a terrific display in Zagreb.The English giants were made to pay for some missed chances early on as Zagreb led the game through a nicely worked goal during the middle of the first half. A humid night at the Stadion Maksimir saw Arsene Wenger's team reduced to a man down after Olivier Giroud was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.The 17-time Croatian champions made the most of the numerical advantage as they went on the score sheet again in the second period of the match to notch-up the decibels further inside the Maksimir. A Theo Walcott goal late in the game gave some hope to the Gunners, but in the end the Zoran Mamic managed outfit did enough to cling on to a famous victory, their first against an English side.Here are the five talking points from the game.
#1 Baffling changes made by Wenger
The first match of the Champions League group stage always sets the tone for the proceeding ones and it important to get off the blocks early in order to avoid some last minute qualifying hassles. Arsene Wenger, however, chose to ignore this fact and made as many as six changes to the side that won against Stoke City over the weekend. And really, the changes hardly made any impact.
Le Professeur chose to start with Columbian goalkeeper David Ospina instead of the experienced Petr Cech. Ospina, who made his first appearance for the Gunners this season, failed to command the threat in goal that his Czech counterpart possesses. Moreover, his indecisiveness in front of goal could have easily led to him being sent off as well for a harsh tackle during the latter half of the game.
Mathieu Debuchy failed defensively as well as going forward while Kieran Gibbs was hardly involved over the course of the game. Mikel Arteta, who started in place of Francis Coquelin, also looked uncomfortable for most of the game, failing to provide cover for his leaky defense. Furthermore, Theo Walcott was replaced by Olivier Giroud up front, even after a good performance over the weekend.
#2 Eduardo dominant in front of goal
Much of the credit for Dinamo Zagreb's first win over an English side should be given to their prolific goalkeeper Eduardo Carvalho. If not for the Portuguese, Zagreb would have gone behind the visitors, who started off the block quickly during the first half.
The Portuguese stopper, who has played 34 times for his national team, made sure that the Croatian champions did not give away an early advantage to their opponents by putting in fine show between the sticks.
A terrific first half saw the Zagreb keeper keep out a superb header from Olivier Giroud while denying the Frenchmen again moments later to keep out a rebounded shot off the post. The 6 feet 2 inch goalkeeper was also exceptional in the air during the second period of the game, judging his leaps to perfection and keep out dangerous balls in from Arsenal in open play as well as set-pieces.
#3 Giroud pays the price for his petulance
Olivier Giroud was back in the starting line-up at the expense of Theo Walcott and he had a great chance of staking a claim for a place back into Arsenal's starting line-up. The Frenchmen, however, endured a torrid night at Zagreb, spurring two great chances in the first half of the game. The28-year old clearly seemed out of sorts and his frustration piled on with every opportunity he missed.
Perhaps it was this woeful form in front of goal that caused Giroud to exchange words with the referee over a free-kick given against him, getting clumsily booked in the process early in the first half. The Arsenal striker naively put another silly tackle later in the half, leaving the referee with no choice but to book him for a second bookable offence.
For Arsenal, who had been enjoying the lion's share of the possession, this proved to be an important turning point of the game. Not only did Giroud miss some crucial chances during his brief stint on the pitch, but also jeopardized his own place in the squad with the silly sending off.
#4 Impressive Zagreb undaunted by the visitors
Arsenal were looking increasingly likely to score after an impressive display during the early part of the game. However, it was the Croats who made the most of their chances and made the visitors pay for their missed opportunities.
Zagreb calmed some early nerves with a wonderfully worked move, which saw Arsenal's defense split wide open and culminated into a brilliant goal. The goal came much against the run of play and proved to be decisive to silence Arsenal's thousand odd vocal supporters at the Maksimir.
Arsenal, chasing the game after the first goal, got a stiff reality check when the host refused to back down against the might of the English opponents. Instead of laying back and defending their lead, the Croatian champions took the attack to their opposition, and delivered the sucker punch to Wenger's men by scoring early into the second half. With a two-goal cushion under their belt, the Zagreb-based side never looked like losing the game.
#5 Substitute Walcott should have started
Theo Walcott had an impressive game over the weekend but was dropped to the bench by Arsene Wenger for yesterday's match. Incidentally, this was the same ground where the 26-year old scored a magnificent hat-trick for England back in 2008. Olivier Giroud, who started in his stead, failed to capitalize on some brilliant chances during his brief spell in the middle, which only raised the questions about Walcott's surprise omission.
Arsenal won the battle of possession quite comfortably against their Croatian opponents but lacked teeth in the final third. Walcott pace and agility, in this case, would have been a major incentive for the English giants.
Even after Giroud's sending off, Wenger opted not to bring on the talented Englishman up front. Attacking midfielders like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil tried to fill up the void left by the Frenchmen but lacked the finishing ability of a striker in the final third.
Walcott did come on in the middle of the second period of the game and just proved why he should have been the ideal candidate ahead of Giroud. Making fine runs, Walcott seemed dangerous whenever he had the ball in possession. Ultimately, he scored Arsenal's only goal of the game with a pristine finish and kept the Gunners in the hunt till the final whistle in order to save the game.
