Ramsey at the double Aaron Ramsey scored one of the goals of the season as Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 Champions League victory at Galatasaray. Lukas Podolski got the Gunners off to a flying start in Istanbul when his shot flew into the roof of the net, before Ramsey doubled his side’s advantage just eight minutes later. The hosts had been blown away by Arsene Wenger’s side’s clinical performance and they were left shell-shocked when Ramsey produced a stunning volley from 30-yards to give his side a 3-0 lead going into the break. Wesley Sneijder pulled one back for the hosts late in the game but it was Arsenal who had the final say as Podolskoi picked up his second to seal a comprehensive European win. However, the result was not enough to secure Arsenal top spot in Group D. Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Anderlecht left the north Londoners needing to hit six in Turkey and now they must anxiously wait for next Monday’s second round draw where European heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lie in wait as possible opponents. With Chelsea’s conquerors Newcastle the visitors to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening Wenger took the decision to leave several key players at home for the trip to Istanbul. Despite the absence of the Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Danny Welbeck and Laurent Koscielny the Gunners put there nightmare at Stoke behind them with a scintillating display in Turkey. Lukas Podolski got the visitors off to the perfect start after brilliant work from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey released the German international into space. The German, who has been described as the best finisher at the club, did not need a second invitation to get a shot away and his strike left keeper Sinan Bolat no chance, nestling in the roof of the net after just two minutes. Despite going a goal down, the home side responded well and they had an excellent chance to equalise when the ball fell at the feet of Hakan Balta, but the centre-back screwed his shot wide from close range. The miss was to prove costly as Ramsey, fed by the impressive Chamberlain, kept his composure in front of goal before side footing into the far corner to double his side’s advantage in the 10th minute. The home fans were in a state of shock and things could have got even worse for the in the 20th minute were it not for the crossbar as Podolski found space on the on the edge of the area, but his left foot shot rattled the woodwork. But it was not long before Arsenal were on the scoresheet again and it was down to Ramsey with one of the best goals of the season so far. Joel Campbell’s corner was well cleared at the near post with Galatasaray thinking the danger was over but what followed next was pure brilliance as the Welshman’s left foot volley arrowed straight into the top left hand corner to give the Gunners a 3-0 lead at half-time. With Ramsey complaining of a tight hamstring at half-time, Wenger took no chances with Gedion Zelalem and Ainsley Maitland-Niles introduced after the break. The changes stemmed the flow of Arsenal’s attacking play and it was Galatasaray who looked the most likely in the second half. Substitute Hamit Altintop made an immediate impact, turning inside a tired Debuchy but his shot was straight at Szczesny. This was a theme of the second 45 minutes with Sneijder, Yasin Öztekin and Bruma all failing to test the Arsenal goalkeeper. In the 66th minute, It took a last-ditch block from Per Mertesacker, who received plenty of criticism for his performance in Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat at Stoke last weekend, to keep Umut Bulut at bay from point blank range. Galatasary eventually got some reward for the efforts going forward with just three minutes remaining as Sneijder produced a moment of magic to beat Szczesny with a curling free-kick. But on a night when Arsenal got back to winning ways it was Podolski who had the final say as he latched onto Sanogo’s ball to slot home from the centre of the penalty area for a near perfect night for the Gunners.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 22:09:58 +0000