By SBI SOCCER
Arsenal may not have won the possession battle, but the Gunners provided a reminder on Tuesday that the most important stat in any soccer game is still goals scored.
Led by finishes from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, Arsenal topped Bayern, 2-0, Tuesday to stay alive in Champions League play. Entering Tuesday’s game, Arsenal had claimed just one point from matches against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.
After being kept out of goal by a spectacular Manuel Neuer save in the first half, Arsenal got on the board in the 77th minute as Olivier Giroud pounced on a Santi Cazorla free kick. A goal from Mesut Ozil in stoppage time followed, as the German pounced on a Hector Bellerin assist to give the Gunners a major victory in Group F.
The loss is Bayern’s first since Aug.1.
Here’s a closer look at Tuesday’s Champions League’s results:
ROMA, LEVERKUSEN PLAY THRILLING DRAW
Tuesday’s clash between Roma and Bayer Leverkusen featured plenty of twists and turns, but only a share of the points.
The two sides played to a thrilling 4-4 draw Tuesday as both teams squandered two-goal advantages.
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez got the scoring started early, as the Mexican international produced a pair of goals in the fifth and 20th minutes to give the German side an early advantage. Roma pounced from there with four unanswered goals. Daniele De Rossi provided the first two finishes to level the score, while Miralem Pjanic and Iago Falque provided the Italian side with a two-goal lead.
Much like Leverkusen, Roma would let that lead slip as well, with Kevin Kampl and Admir Mehmedi scoring in the 73rd and 84th minutes, respectively, to earn Leverkusen a hard-earned draw.
CHELSEA SETTLES FOR SCORELESS DRAW WITH DYNAMO KIEV
Chelsea’s league struggles have appeared to carry into Champions League Play.
Jose Mourinho’s side was forced to settle for a scoreless draw with Ukraine’s Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, putting Chelsea on just four points through three Champions League games.
Chelsea did earn the better of the chances, hitting the post twice while nearly seeing Cesc Fabregas draw a penalty. After the game, Mourinho blasted the referee for missing the call, as Chelsea slumped to third in Group G.
Here’s a closer look at the rest of Tuesday’s results:
Dinamo Zagreb 1 – 0 Olimpiakos
Porto 2 – 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv
BATE Borisov 0 – 2 Barcelona
Zenit St. Petersburg 3 – 1 Lyon
Gent 1 – 2 Valencia
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What do you think of Tuesday’s results? Any surprises? Who do you see as favorites going forward?
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