Captain Gallas Rescues Point For Arsenal

Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal earned a battling point in Ukraine after going behind to a controversial penalty shortly after the hour, William Gallas getting his third goal in as many Champions Leagues games this season to ensure there was no major shock in Kiev.

After largely controlling the match for an hour but failing to convert some good chances, Bacary Sagna was somewhat harshly adjudged to have fouled Ognjen Vukojevic in the area, and Ismael Bangoura expertly slotted home the penalty to put Dynamo Kiev ahead in the 64^th minute.

The goal infused Kiev with energy and purpose, and for the next 15 minutes the Gunners were rocking. But they held on, regrouped and battled back into the game, getting their reward in the last five minutes when captain William Gallas slammed the ball into the roof of the net from almost under the bar to cap a period of sustained Arsenal pressure.

Alexandre Song replaced Emmanuel Eboue in the only change made by Arsene Wenger to the side that beat Blackburn Rovers 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. With Samir Nasri amd Mikael Silvestre both injured, Wenger named Mexico starlet Carlos Vela, Wales teenager Aaron Ramsey and 16-year-old Londoner Jack Wilshere on his bench.

Robin Van Persie won an early corner, and soon Theo Walcott's pace threatened as he chased a hopeful ball over the top and, with keeper Bogush making no move, Mykhalyk had to turn the ball behind for another corner. But Dynamo were showing an attacking threat of their own through Bangoura and Eremenko.

On 20 minutes, Emmanuel Adebayor had an excellent chance for Arsenal when Kiev gave the ball away cheaply, but the Togo striker put his shot wide. The two defences then began to enjoy the balance of power, before Bacary Sagna set up Van Persie, whose shot rippled the side-netting.

Then just before the break, Van Persie laid a neat back to Cesc Fabregas, but the Catalan didn’t quite catch it right, and it went straight down Stanislav Bogush’s throat for a key save.

The second-half began with an early scare for the Gunners, Roman Eremanko surging into the area and taking the ball past Gallas and firing in a low drive that crashed off the base of the near post as a grateful Manuel Almunia, hitherto largely unused, pounced on the loose ball.

Arsenal, though, were unhappy about the attack because Walcott was down injured at the time.

Walcott recovered, though, and burst through the middle, spreading the ball wide to van Persie - but with Adebayor yelling for it in the middle, the Dutchman blazed wide from a tight angle.

Fabregas tried a shot from 30 yards which Bogush gathered cleanly after the ball took a deflection and bounced just in front of the keeper.

But when Bangoura broke down the right for Kiev and crossed towards Vukojevic, both he and Sagna tumbled. It was a case of six of one and half-a-dozen of the other but the referee decided Sagna had committed a foul, and Bangoura coolly took full advantage.

Bangoura especially was energised by the goal, and he had the Arsenal defence stretched repeatedly as the London side withstood a tense few minutes. However, he ludicrously dived, and was promptly booked, to ruin a swift incisive passing move by Dynamo. Had he stayed on his feet he could have burst through and had a shot from the middle of the goal.

With Aliev orchestrating the midfield for Dynamo, the Gunners - who were certainly the better team in the first-half, were suddenly hanging on. Bangoura blasted another effort wide, and Clichy made a well-timed tackle on Vukoyevic as the Kiev man was about to shoot. Then Bangoura shot into the side-netting, before Arsenal recovered some poise and were getting back into it in the final ten minutes.

Adebayor went past Nesmachnyi on the right and produced a teasing cross, but Diakhate was calmness personified as he chested the ball back to his goalkeeper. Then an Arsenal corner was cleared two minutes from time, and Bangoura and Aliev had a chance to punish their visitors in a two-on-one break but made a hash of it.

It proved costly because Arsenal immediately equalised. Walcott broke away again down the right and his low dangerous cross to the far post found Gallas gratefully smashing it over the line from almost point-blank range.

So the game ended all-square, both sides having produced some incisive attacking football at pace. Had they both shown greater composure when chances presented themselves, the outcome could have been different. But Arsenal will feel justice was eventually done after the contentious penalty decision.

Dynamo Kiev: Bogush, Betao, Diakhate, Mykhalyk, Nesmachniy, Vukojevic, Yussuf, Yeremenko, Aliev, Ninkovic, Bangoura. Subs: Shovkovskiy, Ghioane, Morozyuk, Shatskikh, Kravets, Olexander Romanchuk, Asatiani

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Song Billong, Denilson, Van Persie, Adebayor. Subs: Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere, Djourou, Bendtner, Eboue

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