Full-time: Qarabag 0-3 Arsenal
Arsenal have six points after two matches in the Europa League group stages and will travel to Sporting Lisbon next. This was their eighth win in a row in all competitions and there were some clear positives: they were clinical; and several individuals put in fine personal performances, not least 18-year-old Smith-Rowe, as well as Iwobi and Guendouzi. But there were areas of concern, too. They were sloppy at times and defensively they still look fragile, and Emery abandoned his back-three experiment at half-time because it wasn’t working. Still, it was a deserved win and there were more pluses than minuses, with more stringent tests pending.
90 min: Another sweeping counter-attack by Arsenal, with Guendouzi and Ozil instrumental. But Welbeck botches the finish.
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88 min: Papastathapolous plays a superb long pass from just outside his own box over the Qarabag defence and into the path of Laazette. The French rolls it into the path of Welbec, who tries to guide a curling shot into the top corner from 18 yards. But he spoons it over the bar.
85 min: Zoubir lets fly from over 20 yards. Leno flings himself to his right and touches it around the post with both hands.
Qarabag substitution: Slavchev on, Garayev off.
82 min: Medvedev curls in a menacing ball from the right. No one reaches it.
GOAL! Qarabag 0-3 Arsenal (Guendouzi 79)
A splendid counter-attacking goal! Welbeck started it by winning the ball just outside his own box. Then Lacazette and Ozil got involved before the German fed Guendouzi, who sidestepped one man at the edge of the area and fired a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the net!
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77 min: Game management breakdown! Emeghara miscontrols after Arsenal’s defence is sliced open by a pass from Delarge. That’s the severalth time something like that has happened. Arsenal have gotten away with some slackness today.
75 min: Arsenal’s remain in game management mode. They’d be happy to just ease their way to full-time. Qarabag are not entirely dispirited but they’re not playing with the verve they had in patches earlier.
72 min: Ozil turns down the chance of a shot from 20 yards in order to allow Arsenal to keep knocking the ball around, almost trolling their increasingly frustrated hosts. Good stuff from the visitors.
Arsenal substitution: Lacazette on, Iwobi off.
69 min: Emeghara shunts Ozil off the ball and charges towards the Arsenal box. But he’s closed down before he gets there.
68 min: This match isn’t yet dead. Arsenal are in charge but there is still a latent threat from Qarabag. They’re creating opening but haven’t yet shown they have the composure to finish them. In other words, Arsenal are winning but still not particularly convincing defensively.
Qarabag substitution: Abdullayev on, Ozobic off.
Arsenal substitution: Ozil on, Smith-Rowe off - it won’t be the last you hear of him, that’s for sure.
63 min: Super skill by Iwobi on the left, followed by a dangerous cross to the back post. Qarabag clear.
62 min: Iwobi breaks up a short corner by Qarabag at the edge of his own box and then runs all the way down to the Qarabag one. But he forgets to stop and runs the ball out of play. Shades of Wile E. Coyote there.
61 min: Leno charges quickly off his line to block a shot by Emeghara after a Qarabag corner.
Qarabag substitution: Delarge on, Madatov off.
60 min: Agolli hangs up an inviting cross from the left. Guendouzi meets it at the edge of Arsenal’s six-yard box and wellies it over his own bar!
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59 min: Zoubir makes a mug of Lichtsteiner down the left but then fails to deliver a telling pass, running into traffic and wasting the opening.
57 min: Arsenal players who have particularly impressed so far: Smith-Rowe, Iwobi, Guendouzi.
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56 min: Guendouzi and Elneny orchestrate a bout of possession-play intended for further deflate the visitors.
GOAL! Qarabag 0-2 Arsenal (Smith-Rowe 53)
The 18-year-old scores his first goal for Arsenal, to given them breathing space and crown a highly encouraging personal performance so far! Iwobi received the ball near the D and slipped it to Smith-Rowe to his right. The youngster took a touch on the run and then slid it under the advancing goalkeeper from eight yards. Way to puncture Qarabag-s second-half vim!
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52 min: A lovely pass from central midfield is dropped over the head of Kolasinac in the left-back position. Madatov had darted in on the blindside by miscontrols.
49 min: Arsenal are hustled off the ball in their own half. Emeghara then threads a nice pass through to Madatov, who fires past Leno and into the net. The crowd go wild! Until they see that the linesman’s flag is up for offside. That’s the correct decision. But a serious warning for Arsenal to keep possession better, for starters.
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48 min: Garayev has a potshot from 25 yards. It’s miles over.
47 min: Ozobic fires off the first shot of the second half, a bobbly effort from 25 yards that goes nowhere near the goal.
Arsenal substitution: Torreira on, Monreal off. Arsenal have reverted to a back four. Emery has apparently recognised the need to stem the flow of Qarabag attacks down the flanks, especially the left.
Half-time: Qarabag 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal deserve their lead - given to them early and a little luckily by Papasathopolous - but Qarabag have shown enough promise to suggest this game is far from over. Both sides are most dangerous down their left wings, with Iwobi and Kolasinac combing well for Arsenal while Zoubir and Agolli torment Lichtsteiner down the right. Smith-Rowe has been exciting and influential on the ball but isn’t offering much help to the Swiss defensively.
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44 min: Qarabag goes close again, Medvedev collecting a pass over the top, wrongfooting Kolasinac and then firing into the sidenetting from 10 yards.
43 min: Holding booked for deliberate handball, reaching out to stop the ball near half-way as he lost his footing.
42 min: Cutting interplay by Kolasinac and Iwobi again down the left. Iwobi finsd Smith-Rowe near the penalty shot. His shot is blocked, and then so too is Elneny’s.
39 min: Agoilli mis-hit shot from the left-han corner of the Arsenal box spreads panic. The ball breaks to Ozobic 14 yards out and nearly central. He swings his left foot and at it in an attempt to lash a low shot into the net. Leno reacts smartly to parry.
37 min: Nice move by Arsenal. Iwobi feeds Kolasinac, who made good ground down the left again. His cross is good, too, finding Smith-Rowe about 12 yards out. He essays a first-time volley but doesn’t get it right, sending the shot wide. Still, the fact he didn’t feel the need to take a touch first shows his commendable ebullience. “Who needs £250,000 per week Ramsey when you have Smith-Rowe,” asks James Christa. “We’ve had legends such as Lionel Smith and Alan Smith, and Smith-Rowe has potential to join the elite Smith group of Arsenal Smiths.” But why overlook the Rowes? He could follow in the lineage of the great Arthur Rowe, who won promotion and then the top-flight titles with Tottenham. Ah, I see.
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33 min: Iwobi nutmegs Medvedev wide on the left and then runs past him to collect the ball. Medvedev pulls him by the shirt to stop him, so Iwobi shoves him to the ground. The ref books the Qarabag player, which is right and proper. But a more pernickety sort might have taken action against Iwobi, too
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32 min: Arsenal play it out from the back despite high pressing. Papastathopoulous summons his inner-Beckenbauer and strides out to near the half-way line and then plays a canny pass through for Smith-Rowe. The Qarabag keeper hurtles out of his box to clear.
29 min: Emeghara is released down the right and tries to bringing in Madatov. he miscontrols. Kolasinac intervenes and bogs the ball 60 yards downfield.
27 min: A bustling run by Zoubir down the left gets the home fans to their feet again. He eventually loses possession but Qarabag win it back. Madatov dodges Kolasinac at the edge of the area and then nutmegs Monreal ... but his low shot from 10 yards lacks power, allowing Leno to make his first save of the game.
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25 min: Iwobi has been bright, too. The latest of his runs has won a corner for Arsenal. They take it short and then Elneny’s waste their opportunity by attempting to drill a shot in at the near post from a ridiculous angle and distance.
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22 min: This Smith-Rowe lad sure like to run at people! Every time he gets the ball he sets off on a dribble, drawing opponents towards him. And so far he’s been smart enough to offload to a teammate before he’s caught. He’s making things happen. It’s impressive.
21 min: Elneny sends in an outswinger. Welbeck peels off his marker and meets it with a firm but inaccurate header from eight yards.
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20 min: After a steady spell of possession by Arsenal, Guendouzi slips a pass through to Welbeck. The ball is poked off his foot by a defender at the cost of a corner.
18 min: That’s what I’m talking about! Young Smith-Rowe showed the way with a bold and cutting run across the field before feeding Iwobi. The Nigeria international threaded it through to Kolasinac, who played the ball across goal from the left. And there was Smith-Rowe trying to finish off the move he started, sliding in to poke the ball ... just wide!
16 min: Another dangerous attack by Qarabag! Agolli and Zoubir outnumbered Lichtsteiner to make gains down the left wing before Holding had to boot another cross clear, this time from right in front of Leno’s goal. Arsenal need to get the initiative back in this game.
14 min: Zoubir shows impressive strength to hold off Elneny as he jinks down the left and then delivers a fetching cross. Holding heads it to safety.
12 min: Qarabag have upped their game and playing mostly in Arsenal’s half now. Medvedev is probing quite well from midfield. Arsenal need to press hard and keep their concentration. So far that’s what they’re doing. The next step, of course, should be to regain possession and territorial superiority.
10 min: Twice in a minute a Qarabag player has gone down in the box and appealed for a penalty. The replay shows that the second one, at least, was no foul, as Holding did nothing more sinister than hold his ground as Emeghara tried to jump for a cross he was never going to get.
9 min: That’s a bit more promising from the hosts. Michel spots a smart run by Emeghara and deposits the ball on his foot with a nice looped pass from midfield. Monreal blocks the forwad’s shot, at the expense of a corner.
7 min: Arsenal are bossing this. Qarabag are full of desire but don’t have the precision to match their ambition, so their counter-attacks break down quickly.
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GOAL! Qarabag 0-1 Arsenal (Papastathopoulous 4)
Elneny’s corner finds Monreal beyond the far post and the Spaniard sends a strong header goalward. It hits Papastathopoulous three yards out and bounces in, the keeper falling the other away and fooled by the deflection. The perfect start for Arsenal, though I think Papastathopolous was trying to get out of the way!
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4 min: Guedouzi swithes play, bringing in Kolasinac, who storms down the left and fires in a low cross from the byline. The keeper scrambles it away before Welbeck can pounce.
3 min: Qarabag started with much gusto but as soon as they gave the ball away, Arsenal strung together a series of calm passes to deflate the hosts’ mojo. They quickly file back into defensive formation.
1 min: We have kickoff! Qarabag do the honours.
The teams go through the pre-game formalities: handshakes, back slaps, fist pumps, a little something for everyone. The hosts are clad all in black, while Arsenal are wearing white socks and red shorts to go with their familiar red shirt with white arms and drapes.
The teams are about to make their way on to the pitch. In the meantime, the camera is panning around the crowd and picks out a few lads who react by throwing the horns, Ronnie Jame Dio-style. Which invites the question: will it be heaven or hell for Arsenal today?
Alex Iwobi, in a pre-recorded interview, has been telling BT about Arsenal’s new manager. “Even though he’s strict everyone loves his enthusiasm ... He’s always telling me ‘it doesn’t matter if you lose the ball as long as you’re trying to be positive’.”
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Speaking to BT, Unai Emery has confirmed that his team will play with a back three but says formation is secondary to players’ decision-making and diligence. “For me the system is not important. All the players are doing tactically things in attacking and defensive areas. Today we are starting with three centrebacks. [It’s about] finding our control in the game with this positioning with and without the ball and our capacity to do good pressing.”
As you can see from the teams below, Arsenal have stationed most of their big guns on the bench and hope they won’t need to be deployed for a fightback. He’s starting with a back three so let’s see how that goes. Meanwhile, 18 year-old attacking midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe makes only his second start, having also begin the 3-1 over Brentford in the League Cup.
Oh, and one more point of information: this match will be played under water. But no, Danny Welbeck won’t need to wear Scuba gear (though fans of AC Milan may think he should after that dive in this competition last season) because what we’re driving at is that Baku lies 28 metres below sea level, making it the lowest capital city on the planet. More pertinently, it’s nearly 4,000 miles from London, so any Arsenal fans who’ve made the journey will be hoping for a performance that makes the effort worthwhile. While fans of Fulham, who face Arsenal in the Premier League at noon on Sunday, will hope for long flight delays on the way back.
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Teams
Qarabag: Vagner; Medvedev, Huseynov, Rzezniczak, Agolli; Madatov, Michel, Garayev, Zoubir; Ozobic, Emeghara
Subs: Haldorsson, Mammadov, Slavchev, Abullayev, Delarge, Hurseynov, Diniyev
Arsenal: Leno; Holding, Papastathopoulos, Monreal; Lichtsteiner, Elneny, Guendouzi, Kolasinac; Smith-Rowe, Welbeck, Iwobi,
Subs: Martinez, Bellerin, Lacazette, Ozil, Torreira, Mustafi, Xhaka,
Referee: D Massa (Italy)
Preamble
Welcome to a piece of history and perhaps a glimpse of the future: this is Arsenal’s first ever match in Azerbaijan and they hope to return there in May, since the stadium in which they play today is also the venue for this season’s Europa League final. They’ll have to improve on their current form to do that, although that seems a daft assertion given they go into this game on the back of seven straight victories. Thing is, Arsenal’s have looked vulnerable in nearly all of those matches – still, winning without dominating is not such a bad habit and suggests that Unai Emery is introducing a level of efficiency or opportunism that Arsenal have lacked in recent years. Or maybe he’s just been getting lucky. All will become clear with time. Today, for his 10th match since replacing Arsene Wenger, Emery can be confident of racking up another win even if he does not deploy his first-choice team: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Aaron Ramsey have not made the trip, and nor has Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has been excused from the task of having to listen to around 60,000 locals share their thoughts on Azerbaijani-Armenian relations.
Geo-political disputes aside, Qarabag are not especially daunting hosts. They have been champions of Azerbaijan for five consecutive years but the only teams they have ever beaten in Baku in European competition are Anderlecht and PAOK Salonika. Chelsea strolled to a 4-0 victory here last season. Arsenal are no Chelsea these days but Qarabag didn’t look much cop in their opening match of this competition, losing 2-0 at Sporting Lisbon, so Arsenal really be able to take three points here if they go about it the right away and thereby put themselves in a cosy spot in their group.
