TEMPO.CO, London - Arsenal proceed to Champions League after defeating Besiktas in the playoff. Playing in Emirates stadium, The Gunners realized they needed to score in order to proceed.
Besiktas, on the other hand, displayed a confident performance, despite the absence of manager Slaven Billic. However, the solid defense from the Turkish giant fell apart in the end of the first half. It was former Barcelona player Alexis Sanchez that scored his first goal for Arsenal, helping the home team to secure that night’s victory.
In the second half, Besiktas played a more offensive game. Arsenal lost Mathieu Debuchy 15 minutes before the final whistle. Despite playing against 10 men, Besiktas failed to equalize, thus ruling out their Champions League hope.
ANTONIUS WISHNU