Arsenal 2-1 Steaua
Arsenal FC maintained their 100 per cent home record in this season's UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 victory against FC Steaua Bucureşti but had to settle for second in Group H following Sevilla FC's victory at SK Slavia Praha. Goals from Abou Diaby and Niklas Bendtner sent the Gunners on their way in a one-sided first half before Dorel Zaharia replied for the rallying visitors, who finish their campaign with a solitary point.
Fast start
With Arsenal having lost their first Premier League game of the season at Middlesbrough FC five days ago, and manager Arsène Wenger resting key players while he himself was confined to the stands due to a touchline ban, Steaua may have felt it was a good time to visit north London. Yet any feeling the hosts might be vulnerable without the likes of Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor quickly evaporated as the Gunners opened at breakneck pace.
Diaby strike
Theo Walcott had already set up a half chance for the fit-again Diaby when another returning player, Robin van Persie, slipped him clean through in the third minute, only for the teenager's low shot to shave the wrong side of Robinson Zapata's far post. The visitors were struggling to deal with Walcott's pace, and moments later the lively Englishman turned past Mihai Neşu before leaving Ionuţ Rada in his wake and shooting over. If Walcott's finishing was lacking, Diaby soon showed his team-mate the way, latching on to Bacary Sagna's near-post cross and steering a rising shot inside Zapata's far post on eight minutes.
Deft shot
Buoyed by his first European goal, the Frenchman surged forward again after the restart and saw his deflected shot saved by Zapata before Steaua finally settled. Nicolae Dică slipped Adrian Neaga clear on the right on 16 minutes, but Armand Traoré's sliding tackle snuffed out the Romanian side's only opening of the first period. After a brief lull, the Gunners finished the half with a flurry, Walcott and Van Persie both missing from promising positions. Bendtner made Arsenal's dominance tell on 42 minutes, however, the Danish international clipping a deft shot beyond Zapata after collecting Van Persie's diagonal pass.
Zapata intervention
The second half was played at a slower pace as Steaua, without a win in this season's group stage, looked content to limit the damage. Zapata's alert goalkeeping denied the English side on the hour, the Colombian custodian racing out to stop Bendtner in his tracks, then completing the save with a timely tackle on Van Persie.
Lăcătuş move
Steaua coach Marius Lăcătuş tried to give his side fresh impetus by introducing Romeo Surdu and Zaharia, and the move paid dividends as the latter scored on 68 minutes, looping a header from Florin Lovin's cross over Jens Lehmann just four minutes after coming on. Arsenal's recalled goalkeeper had been a spectator until then, but the German was grateful for Emmanuel Eboué's intervention seconds later as Steaua rallied. Bendtner was again denied by Zapata, yet Steaua were invigorated by the goal and almost stole a memorable point five minutes from time when Ovidiu Petre's shot flashed just wide of the top corner.
Slavia 0-3 Sevilla
Luis Fabiano came off the bench to spark Sevilla FC into life as the Spanish side secured a 3-0 defeat of SK Slavia Praha to finish top of UEFA Champions League Group H. With the game goalless in the Czech capital, the Brazilian forward emerged with little over half-an-hour left to score one and create two more for Frédéric Kanouté and Daniel Alves as Sevilla pipped Arsenal FC to first place.
Last chance for Slavia
Slavia coach Karel Jarolím had promised that his team, destined for third position and the UEFA Cup, would exploit their last chance to shine on Europe's biggest stage, and with Vladimír Šmicer buzzing effectively behind lone striker Milan Ivana, the hosts began with purpose. They even created a first-minute opening for Daniel Pudil although the midfielder's powder-puff header was comfortably dealt with.
Disallowed goal
UEFA Cup holders Sevilla had laid the foundations for their convincing 4-2 victory over Slavia on Matchday 2 with an early goal from Kanouté. The forward almost repeated the dose after nine minutes in Prague, but saw his firm header fly narrowly wide of Martin Vaniak's left-hand post. The visitors then appeared to have made the breakthrough just after the quarter-hour mark when Alves's vicious long-range strike found its way into the net. However, a decisive deflection off team-mate Arouna Koné, in an offside position, meant it was rightly ruled out.
Off the post
As Arsenal had found out when they were held here on Matchday 4, Slavia are a tough proposition at the Evžena Rošického Stadium. Twice Šmicer was denied a clear sight of goal by Ivica Dragutinović's timely intervention, before Ivana went within centimetres of putting the Czech league leaders in front on 34 minutes. The No20, making his second start in the competition, tricked his way through a block of black-shirted defenders only to see his side-footed shot ricochet off a post.
Key substitution
If Šmicer's enforced departure at half-time deprived Slavia of their most experienced asset and attacking fulcrum, it also allowed Sevilla to take control of proceedings. Koné twice passed up the opportunity to put the Spanish outfit ahead, before Kanouté elicited a marvellous double stop from Vaniak. With Slavia reeling, Sevilla coach Manuel Jiménez brought on top scorer Fabiano and he tipped the scales decisively in favour of the Andalusians. On the pitch for only seven minutes, he raced on to fellow replacement Enzo Maresca's perfectly weighted pass to fire a rising shot beyond Vaniak for his fourth goal of this campaign.
Free-wheeling
Fabiano turned provider in the 69th minute to ensure Sevilla would ride out the remainder of the contest in comfort, instantly diverting Diego Capel's cross into the path of Kanouté who fended off Marek Suchý before whipping the ball past Vaniak. As Slavia pressed forward in search of a consolation, Fabiano completed a dream finale, slipping the ball to the raiding Alves who sealed victory three minutes from time.
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