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Brits fail to deliver as Dynamo Kiev humbles Arsenal
Paris, Oct 23: British hopes of making a major Champions League impact have nosedived when both Arsenal and Celtic suffered defeats which left them rooted to the bottom of their qualifying groups.
Paris, Oct 23: British hopes of making a major Champions League impact have nosedived when both Arsenal and Celtic suffered defeats which left them rooted to the bottom
of their qualifying groups.
Arsenal, top of the English Premiership but flops when it comes to the European stage, lost 2-1 to Dynamo Kiev to extend their run of matches without a win in the continent's top club competition to eight. In Brussels, meanwhile, Celtic went down 1-0 to 10-man Anderlecht.
Maxim Shatskikh's volleyed goal and a schoolboy error by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann kept Arsenal at the foot of Group B with just one point to show from their opening three matches - they are five points behind Kiev and Inter Milan and three points adrift of Lokomotiv Moscow.
Shatskikh's 27th minute goal was the first blow to Arsene Wenger's team while German Lehmann, inexplicably trying to dribble the ball outside his box, lost possession to hand Valentin Belkevich an easy goal in the 64th minute.
Thierry Henry's tap-in from six yards in the 80th minute gave Arsenal hope but it proved too little, too late. Arsenal's England defender Sol Campbell was a frustrated figure at the end.
"We are playing well in the premiership. But in Europe, for whatever reason, we just can't seem to get going at the moment," said Campbell. "In the last 20 minutes we had our chances but we just couldn't get the equaliser. The ball just wouldn't break for us."
Bureau Report
Arsenal, top of the English Premiership but flops when it comes to the European stage, lost 2-1 to Dynamo Kiev to extend their run of matches without a win in the continent's top club competition to eight. In Brussels, meanwhile, Celtic went down 1-0 to 10-man Anderlecht.
Maxim Shatskikh's volleyed goal and a schoolboy error by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann kept Arsenal at the foot of Group B with just one point to show from their opening three matches - they are five points behind Kiev and Inter Milan and three points adrift of Lokomotiv Moscow.
Shatskikh's 27th minute goal was the first blow to Arsene Wenger's team while German Lehmann, inexplicably trying to dribble the ball outside his box, lost possession to hand Valentin Belkevich an easy goal in the 64th minute.
Thierry Henry's tap-in from six yards in the 80th minute gave Arsenal hope but it proved too little, too late. Arsenal's England defender Sol Campbell was a frustrated figure at the end.
"We are playing well in the premiership. But in Europe, for whatever reason, we just can't seem to get going at the moment," said Campbell. "In the last 20 minutes we had our chances but we just couldn't get the equaliser. The ball just wouldn't break for us."
Bureau Report