Champions League
B DortmundBorussia Dortmund2ArsenalArsenal0

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Arsenal

By Neil JohnstonBBC Sport
Borussia Dortmund v Arsenal
Arsenal were unbeaten in their previous six games in Germany
  • Arsenal manage just four shots
  • Aubameyang scores one and hits bar
  • Teenager Bellerin starts for Gunners
  • Arsenal at home to Galatasaray next

Arsenal's Champions League Group D campaign got off to a poor start as Borussia Dortmund scored either side of half-time to secure a deserved victory.

Ciro Immobile opened the scoring after powering past Laurent Koscielny to beat Wojciech Szczesny with a low finish.

Dortmund doubled their lead when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished another fine breakaway.

Aubameyang also hit the bar, while Danny Welbeck wasted Arsenal's best chance when clean through.

Former Arsenal striker John Hartson on BBC Radio 5 live:
"Arsenal papered over the cracks last season, winning the FA Cup and just sneaking into the top four. Their performances against the big teams in the past few years have been unacceptable. They could have conceded five or six against Dortmund. Without overreacting, it was a really woeful defensive performance from Arsenal."

Arsenal, competing at this stage of the Champions League for the 17th year in a row, have progressed to the knockout rounds before despite losing their opening group game.

But they will have to improve significantly after a woeful display in which they were outfought and outplayed for long periods at Signal Iduna Park.

The Gunners arrived in Germany unbeaten in their previous six visits to the country.

Yet Dortmund, who had 22 shots compared to Arsenal's four, should have won by a more handsome scoreline after a careless performance by Arsene Wenger's side.

The visitors, missing defenders Nacho Monreal, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, fielded 19-year-old full-back Hector Bellerin, whose only previous senior outing was a 26-minute substitute appearance in a League Cup tie.

Along with his team-mates, the Spaniard, who spent three months of last season on loan in the Championship at Watford, spent most of the first half on the back foot.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had already let the Gunners off the hook with some wasteful finishing before Immobile broke the deadlock in the 45th minute.

It came after Arsenal conceded possession on the edge of the Dortmund area, a long clearance finding former Torino forward Immobile, who kept his composure before finding the net with a low angled finish after gliding past Koscielny.

Shortly before Immobile's opener, Welbeck - on his second Gunners appearance since joining from Manchester United - dragged a wonderful chance wide from inside the area after clever play by Aaron Ramsey.

It was to prove a costly miss. The second half was just three minutes old when Aubameyang skipped round Szczesny to bundle the ball over the line after the Gunners keeper and Per Mertesacker got in each other's way.

Aubameyang rattled the bar with a rising shot from the edge of the area after Arsenal's defence was again hopelessly exposed by another swift German counter-attack.

Defeat leaves the Gunners bottom of the group after Galatasaray and Anderlecht drew 1-1.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and his Borussia Dortmund counterpart Jurgen Klopp
Arsene Wenger celebrates his 18th anniversary in charge of Arsenal on 30 September
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny reacts after Borussia Dortmund take the lead through Ciro Immobile
Arsenal conceded two or more goals for the 11th time in their past 19 Champions League away games
Arsenal's Danny Welbeck attempts a shot in his side's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Borussia Dortund
Danny Welbeck was making his second appearance for Arsenal
Borussia Dortmund"s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring his side"s second goal against Arsenal
Borussia Dortmund's next Champions League group game is away to Anderlecht on 1 October
Arsenal players react at the final whistle after losing to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League
Arsenal lost 3-0 at home to Inter Milan in their opening group game in the 2003-04 Champions League before progressing to the quarter-finals
Borussia Dortmund fans during the Champions League group game with Arsenal
Dortmund's opening goal against Arsenal came from their 15th shot of the game

Line-ups

B Dortmund

Formation 4-4-2

  • 1Weidenfeller
  • 4Subotic
  • 29SchmelzerSubstituted forJojicat 79'minutes
  • 37Durm
  • 25Papastathopoulos
  • 19Großkreutz
  • 10MkhitaryanBooked at 5mins
  • 5KehlSubstituted forGinterat 45'minutes
  • 6Bender
  • 17Aubameyang
  • 9ImmobileSubstituted forRamosat 86'minutes

Substitutes

  • 7Kagawa
  • 14Jojic
  • 20Ramos
  • 22Langerak
  • 28Ginter
  • 35Bandowski
  • 41Amini

Arsenal

Formation 4-1-4-1

  • 1Szczesny
  • 3Gibbs
  • 6Koscielny
  • 39Bellerín
  • 4Mertesacker
  • 17Sánchez
  • 11ÖzilBooked at 54minsSubstituted forOxlade-Chamberlainat 62'minutes
  • 16RamseySubstituted forCazorlaat 62'minutes
  • 10WilshereBooked at 88mins
  • 8ArtetaSubstituted forPodolskiat 77'minutes
  • 23Welbeck

Substitutes

  • 7Rosicky
  • 9Podolski
  • 13Ospina
  • 15Oxlade-Chamberlain
  • 19Cazorla
  • 21Chambers
  • 28Campbell
Referee:
Olegário Benquerença
Attendance:
65,851

Match Stats

Home TeamB DortmundAway TeamArsenal
Possession
Home44%
Away56%
Shots
Home23
Away5
Shots on Target
Home7
Away1
Corners
Home7
Away1
Fouls
Home10
Away16

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Borussia Dortmund 2, Arsenal 0.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Borussia Dortmund 2, Arsenal 0.

  3. Post update

    Foul by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal).

  4. Post update

    Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Booking

    Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  6. Post update

    Foul by Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

  7. Post update

    Adrián Ramos (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  8. Post update

    Foul by Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal).

  9. Post update

    Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  10. Post update

    Attempt missed. Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Milos Jojic following a corner.

  11. Post update

    Delay over. They are ready to continue.

  12. Substitution

    Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Adrián Ramos replaces Ciro Immobile.

  13. Post update

    Delay in match Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) because of an injury.

  14. Post update

    Corner, Borussia Dortmund. Conceded by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

  15. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.

  16. Post update

    Delay over. They are ready to continue.

  17. Post update

    Delay in match Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) because of an injury.

  18. Post update

    Hand ball by Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund).

  19. Substitution

    Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Milos Jojic replaces Marcel Schmelzer.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Arsenal. Lukas Podolski replaces Mikel Arteta.

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Juventus11002023
2Olympiakos11003213
3Atl Madrid100123-10
4Malmö FF100102-20

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Real Madrid11005143
2Liverpool11002113
3Ludogorets100112-10
4FC Basel100115-40

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Zenit St Petersburg11002023
2Monaco11001013
3B Leverkusen100101-10
4Benfica100102-20

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1B Dortmund11002023
2Anderlecht10101101
3Galatasaray10101101
4Arsenal100102-20

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1CSKA Moscow00000000
2Bayern Munich00000000
3Man City00000000
4Roma00000000

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Apoel Nicosia00000000
2Ajax00000000
3Barcelona00000000
4PSG00000000

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Chelsea00000000
2Schalke00000000
3NK Maribor00000000
4Sporting00000000

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Ath Bilbao00000000
2BATE Borisov00000000
3FC Porto00000000
4Shakhtar Donetsk00000000
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