Full-time: Basel 1-4 Arsenal
An accomplished victory by the visitors in Basel and a terrific achievement by Ludogorets, who have drawn 2-2 in Paris, have delivered Arsenal to the top of the group. Smiles all around the Gunners’ camp, especially from Perez, who bagged himself a hat-trick.
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90 min: Just two more minutes. Ludogorets are still leading in Paris.
89 min: Steffen limps off, possibly with a hamstring injury. Basel will have to finish with 10 players. The prospects of them getting the four goals they need to deny Arsenal top spot in the group have dimmed.
88 min: Pass, pass, pass, pass. Arsenal are just winding the (cuckoo) clock down.
85 min: Walcott has ping from 20 yards. A deflection takes it wide. Perez delivers the corner. Janko clears it at the near post. That’s not a sequence of play you’ll be seeing in the highlights, all told.
83 min: The substitutions and the knowledge that the game is effectively over have resulted in Arsenal sagging a little and allowing Basel to stage a late rally. Holding makes a good defensive header to relieve pressure.
81 min: Corner to Basel. Hoiked high to Lang on the penalty spot. He applies a powerful downward header, but Ospina saves.
GOAL! Basel 1-4 Arsenal (Doumbia 78)
That’s a splendid goal. Holding gives the ball away to Doumbia, who then produced a skilful flourish to roll past Koscielny, receive perform a one-two and dink the ball over Ospina.
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76 min: In any other job, Arsenal’s players would have agreed to untuck their shirts and head off to the pub by now. Their job has been done for ages.
Basel substitution: Zuffi on, Dié off.
Arsenal substitution: Walcott on, Ozil off.
70 min: Ozil, always keen to add to his assist collection, zips a low pass towards the near post. Giroud tries to help it on into the net, but finds only the sidenetting.
67 min: Ludogorets are back in front in Paris! It’s starting to lool like Arsenal really are going to top the group. They’re going to draw Real Madrid in the next round, aren’t they?
Arsenal substitutions: Elneny and Giroud on, Sanchez and Ramsey off.
66 min: Freekick to Arsenal, about 30 yards out. Sanchez, the foulee, sizes it up ... and swipes a swerving over the wall and against the crossbar! That was witchcraft, the keeper had no clue where the ball was headed!
64 min: Koscielny heads Steffen’s corner away. Arsenal could do with sparing him any further strain tonight, too. Wenger should really be preparing a triple substitution, otherwise people might start thinking he’d wouldn’t mind injuries to key players because that would enable him to rationalise failure this season.
63 min: Corner to Basel. Ozil and Sanchez are still on the pitch, by the way. I don’t know why.
61 min: PSG have equalised through Cavani, presumably after his seventh chance. Give him another seven and PSG may yet top this group...
Basel substitution: Calla on, Elyounoussi off.
68 min: Steffen takes a short corer to Xhaka. But Perez robs it and sets off towards the opposing half at a rattling clip. BUt somewhere along the way he forgot the ball, allowing Basel to take it back. No matter.
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56 min: The fog is growing denser, almost creating a Hound of the Baskervilles vibe. And, now that we mention it, that Arsenal kit does have a bit of a phosphorous glow...
GOAL! Basel 0-4 Basel (Iwobi 54)
That’s a glorious goal. Sanchez played a sumptuous pass over the defence for Ozil to run on to. Once he got it, he played a deft reverse pass from the left to Iwobi, who slotted into the net from seven yards. Awareness, guile and precision, all in one deadly move.
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51 min: Delgado clips a nice cross over from the left. Janko leaps above Koscielny and flicks a header ... wide.
50 min: Xhaka does his best to keep up his yellow card rate, jumping into a challenge on Steffen without any chance of getting the ball. Steffen decides against taking the hit and going to ground, instead riding the challenge and haring towards the Arsenal box. He opens fire from 25 yards. But his shot is way off target.
GOAL! Basel 0-3 Arsenal (Perez 47)
Gibbs alertly wins possession in midfield and then snaps a pass towards Sanchez. It’s too hot for the Chilean to stop, but runs on through to Perez, who is suddenly clear on goal. He shoots low and hard from 18 yards and a little to the right. The keeper gets a hand to it but can’t deny the striker a hat-trick. Game over.
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46 min: Here comes the ret of the match. No personnel changes.
Half-time: Basel 0-2 Arsenal
That was almost too easy for Arsenal. Perez scored the simplest goals he’ll ever get and then Arsenal just began enjoying what we may call a Swiss ramble. But towards the ends of the half there were a couple of warnings that they’d best not nod of or they could get a rude awakening when it’s too late. But the still looks unlikely, especially with PSG trailing at home to Ludogorets.
42 min: Close again by Basel! Delgado botches a free header from six yards after Arsenal stood off Basel and watched them pick a way forward. Time for them to jack up the tempo again, just a touch.
40 min: Steffen cuts into the box rom the left and lets fly with a fierce curling shot towards the far corner. Ospina saves well ... and then jumps on the rebound before Janko can pounce. It’s been a while since Arsenal posed a threat at the other end, and Basel’s confidence is slowly rising.
38 min: Dié scurries down the right, past Gibbs, but overhits his cross.
36 min: Gibbs booked for catching an opponent on the follow-through.
34 min: As ostentatious no-look pass by Sanchez to Ozil, who attempts to slide in Perez. But Basel foil that wheeze.
31 min: Better from Basel. Intricate, pacey passing in midfield takes them to the edge of the Arsenal area, where Iwobi commits a foul. Delgado uses the freekick to send a cross into the box. Ospina dashes off his line and punches it clear before Janko can get his head to it. Good goalkeeping.
28 min: Arsenal are back in cruising mode. This isn’t much of a spectacle, but there is intrigue, nonetheless, in wondering whether PSG will get back on track against Ludogorets and will Arsenal find a way to complicate things.
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26 min: Traoré has been useful down the left, providing a good test of Gabriel’s right-back credentials, which are looking decent so far.
23 min: Gabriel cuts out a cross from the left by Traoré. Danger averted, but Basel are starting to piece together some vaguely promising moves.
21 min: At this point Wenger should be thinking of taking off Sanchez and Ozil. No sense tempting fate now.
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19 min: Traoré cracks a decent shot from the left just wide of the far post.
16 min: Ludogorets have taken the lead at PSG! That’s an unexpected turn-up: Arsenal could finish top of the group, after all. It’s hard to shirk the suspicion that everything’s going just a little too swimmingly for them so far....
GOAL! Basel 0-2 Arsenal (Perez 16)
Another close-range finish into an empty net for Perez, this time after a shot by Gibbs is parried into his path. There was nice interplay by Arsenal before that, too.
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12 min: This is one of those (many) matches where Arsenal have nothing to fear but arsenal themselves. They are a class above Basel.
10 min: Xhaka sloppily gives the ball away mid-way inside his own half, allowing Basel to create their clearest chance of the match. Delgado peels off Holding to meet a chipped pass from the right and send a header back towards the far corner of goal. Ospina makes a tremendous save ... but he needn’t have bothered, as Delgado was offside. That was the first moment of bother for Arsenal and it was all their own fault.
GOAL! Basel 0-1 Arsenal (Perez 8)
Sanchez clips a nice pass to Gibbs on the byline. The left back knocks it backs across goal and Balanta falls over to leave Perez with the simple pleasure of rolling the ball into an empty net from four yards. Easy.
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7 min: Arsenal are making themselves at home. Basel are struggling to get the ball.
5 min: A Ramsey potshot from distance takes a nick of Balanta. Ozil deposits an in-swinging corner on the foot of a defender, who wellies clear at the near post.
3 min: Don’t tell Sanchez that this or any other match is meaningless, he wont understand. He’s from the ‘if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’ school of thought, and he’s started with his customary vigour here. He’s great to watch.
2 min: It’s a cushy beginning for Arsenal. Basel gave the ball away almost immediately and Arsenal have been stroking it around since then, giving a couple of easy touches to Holding, who’s making his debut in the tournament.
1 min: We have kickoff, performed by Basel. A light mist is beginning to envelop the ground.
Arsenal lose the coin toss. They had it in their hands when it began spinning but lost their nerve half-way through.
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[Enter teams] Basel are in all white clobber. Arsenal are in black socks, luminous lime shorts and black jerseys with high-viz trims. The temperature is below zero but the crowd are jumping up and down and singing to keep warm.
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Teams
Basel: Vaclik; Lang, Suchy, Balanta, Traoré; Dié, Xhaka; Eylounoussi, Delgado, Steffen; Janko
Subs: Vallati, Gaber, Zuffi, Bjamason, Hogh, Calia, Doumbia
Arsenal: Ospina; Gabriel, Holding, Koscielny, Gibbs; Ramsey, Xhaka; Iwobi, Ozil, Perez; Sanchez
Subs: Cech, Giroud, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Monreal, Mustafi, Elneny
Referee: M De Sousa (Portugal)
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Preamble
Hello. We’re going to have to enjoy this match solely for its recreational value, unless PSG start to give it more significance by floundering against Ludogorets. And unless you’re interested in seeing whether Basel can make it to the Europa League (they’ll only need a draw if PSG win). That’s fine, there will be lots of good players in action and Basel usually has a fun atmosphere.
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