Match report as Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to all but qualify for the Champions League last 16; Declan Rice’s first CL goal gave the Gunners the lead after two minutes; Kai Havertz doubled the lead for Arsenal’s 500th goal under Mikel Arteta, as Martin Odegaard scored late on Wednesday.
The Gunners now sit third, three points and a healthy goal difference buffer ahead of ninth-placed Aston Villa in the Champions League table with one game remaining, which means they are set to skip February’s play-off round and will resume the competition a round later in March.
Although 10 teams will start the final round of group matches within three points of the Gunners, Arsenal’s +12 goal difference should be sufficient to see them through even if they lose next week to Girona.
So while Arsenal do still need at least a point to be mathematically certain of progression, only some very dramatic scorelines would demote them out of the top eight.
Rice’s second-minute thumper – his first Champions League goal – from Havertz’s lay-off provided the perfect start for Arsenal on the way to three points, as the Gunners dominated a game in which they would not concede a single shot on target.
Arsenal should have put more in the Dinamo net in the first half with Gabriel missing the best chance from close range. “It’s an absolute sitter,” said Tim Sherwood on Soccer Special.But just as the Emirates was getting nervous due to the one-goal buffer, Havertz headed home a wicked delivery from Gabriel Martinelli to double the advantage.
It was not only goals in back-to-back home games for the German, but also the 500th goal Arsenal have scored under Mikel Arteta.
And with the game going into stoppage time, substitute Leandro Trossard’s cross found Martin Odegaard to tap home from close range – the Arsenal captain scoring his first goal from open play for club or country since last April.
The win means Arsenal can go to their final Champions League game away at lowly Girona next week with little riding on it.
Arsenal are currently in third place which means if they stayed in this position come the end of the league phase next Wednesday night, they go straight into the round of 16 and face the winners of the play-off match between 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th.The teams currently in those positions are Brest (13th), Borussia Dortmund (14th), PSV Eindhoven (19th) and Club Brugge (20th).