Ludogorets vs. Arsenal: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Match

Arsenal qualified for the knockout stages of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League on Tuesday with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Ludogorets Razgrad.

Jonathan Cafu and Claudiu Keseru gave the hosts a shock 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes, but Granit Xhaka and Olivier Giroud managed to tie things up before half-time.

The second half was a drab and uninspired affair, but Mesut Ozil struck late to give Arsenal three points and book his team’s spot in the next round. FC Basel dropped points against Paris Saint-Germain and can no longer overtake the Gunners.

As expected, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made some changes to his starting XI with the derby against Tottenham Hotspur coming up. Carl Jenkinson and Giroud were handed a start, per the club’s official Twitter account:

The teams are in – and it’s a first start of the season for this manGood to have you back, @_OlivierGiroud_! pic.twitter.com/9KCdpQXr6I

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) November 1, 2016

Ludogorets thoroughly disappointed at the Emirates Stadium on Matchday 3, and they weren’t expected to do much better on Tuesday. But after a cagey start and a lovely bit of skill from Aaron Ramsey that almost led to a chance, the hosts took control of the match.

Wanderson and Marcelinho gave the Gunners all kinds of fits with their movement, and the midfield battle wasn’t nearly as one-sided as Arsenal fans perhaps expected. Ozil tested goalkeeper Milan Borjan with a placed shot, but other than that, the Gunners’ vaunted attack did little damage in the opening stages.

And after 12 minutes, the hosts took a shock lead, with Cafu converting from a free-kick after Arsenal left him entirely unmarked. Bleacher Report UK couldn’t believe Arsenal’s dreadful defending on the occasion:

Arsenal defending Ludogorets’ set-piece. 🚫 pic.twitter.com/VwiFISAYg5

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 1, 2016

Things got even worse for the visitors three minutes later, as Cafu easily dribbled past Kieran Gibbs before finding Keseru, who doubled …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com