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Olivier Giroud’s brilliant late goal saw off Arsenal’s 10-man hosts and secured a third straight win in Group H for Arsene Wenger’s side

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Thu 19 Oct 2017 15.01 EDTFirst published on Thu 19 Oct 2017 12.00 EDT
Olivier Giroud produces an acrobatic finish to earn Arsenal all three points.
Olivier Giroud produces an acrobatic finish to earn Arsenal all three points. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Olivier Giroud produces an acrobatic finish to earn Arsenal all three points. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

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Olivier Giroud’s brilliant late goal proves enough for Arsenal to secure their third straight win in Group H. They’re five points clear of Red Star Belgrade and FC Koln in first place. They didn’t play particularly well, but they did well to cope with the atmosphere, survived a couple of scares and seized the moment when Red Star went down to 10 men. The Serbians are third on goal difference after Bate Borisov’s 1-0 home win over FC Koln. That’s all from me. Thanks for reading. Bye.

Giroud saves the day. Photograph: Michael Zemanek/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
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87 min: It all came from Jack Wilshere’s initial injection of urgency. That’s one of the things he’s really good at, pushing the ball past opposition midfielders. Wenger always talks it up. Arsenal still have to see this out. They doze off at the back, but Kanga fires over from the edge of the area.

GOAL! Red Star Belgrade 0-1 Arsenal (Giroud, 85 min)

This is absurd. Maybe not quite as absurd as Giroud’s flick-volley against Crystal Palace at the start of the year, but still. it starts with Wilshere bursting past two players. He plays a one-two with Walcott, who adroitly lobs it into the middle for Giroud. The ball’s behind him, but the striker contorts his body and manages to direct an overhead kick past Borjan and into the top-right corner! The home fans keep whistling, but what an important and brilliant goal that is for Arsenal.

Giroud scores the opener. Photograph: Michael Zemanek/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
And celebrates. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters
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83 min: Red Star make their final change, Gobeljic on for Srnic. They’re shutting up shop. Coquelin is back on his feet, meanwhile, though he looks to be wincing a bit. Play resumes and Arsenal promptly whack the ball out for a throw. Good start.

Red card for Milan Rodic (Red Star Belgrade)!

81 min: Already on a booking, Rodic leaps into an aerial challenge and catches Coquelin in the face with a stray arm. Coquelin felt that. He needs some treatment and while that’s happening, the disbelieving Rodic is shown a second yellow card. Red Star will play the closing stages with 10 men.

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64 min: Nelson dumps the free-kick into the wall. Red Star counter and Coquelin’s booked for a foul on Srnic.

63 min: Wilshere’s crunched by Le Tallec on the edge of the area. Yellow card. And a good opportunity for Arsenal, who are starting to trouble the Red Star defenders by running at them.

60 min: In this atmosphere, and given the situation in the group, a draw’s not the worst result for Arsenal. They want a win, though. Walcott drives through the middle and gets brought down by Boakye. The striker’s booked.

56 min: Giroud knocks a pass through to Walcott, who tries to burst through on goal. He ends up settling for a corner.

Olivier Giroud has a word with Theo Walcott. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters
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54 min: The dozing Elneny tries to mop up at the back, only to play a blind pass straight to Rodonjic. Oh dear. Luckily for the Egyptian, the Red Star winger’s powerful shot is struck at a nice height for Cech, who turns it over the bar. Elneny apologises.

52 min: Stojkovic flings a fine ball into the Arsenal area from the right. Krsticic beats Debuchy to it, but his header’s straight at Cech. Either side of the goalkeeper and Arsenal might have had a problem.

50 min: Arsenal have woken up. A cross from the left is shuffled on by Wilshere and to Nelson, who lashes a shot towards the near post. Borjan pushes it wide. Nothing comes from Wilshere’s corner.

48 min: Arsenal have a go. Willock bursts into the area. He’s tackled and the ball squirts to Walcott. Surprised, perhaps, that he still exists, surprised, perhaps, that he’s actually taking part in this match, he completely mistimes his shot, skewing it across the face of goal and against Giroud, who can’t react in time. The ball loops into Borjan’s arms.

46 min: Red Star get the second half underway. They’re on the attack straight away. Kanga rolls a pass through to Srnic, making a Ljungberg-esque run from right to left. He’s through on goal, but Maitland-Niles makes a crucial saving challenge. “Thanks to Amy Lawrence for that evocative mention of smoking at the football,” says Justin Kavanagh. “The waft of a Woodbine always reminds me of going to games with my dad… along with other assorted odors emitted by the Guinness-guzzling mobs of the great unwashed. Van Morrison really needs to write a song about the football… Smokin’, smokin’, smokin’ on Donegall Ave, with the smell of the crowd and the feel of a hot leg and it’s always being one-nil, yeah, always being one-nil… etc.”

43 min: Walcott lifts the free-kick to the far post. Borjan claws it behind for a corner. He tries to claim he didn’t touch it, but the referee isn’t interested. Not to worry, though, Wilshere’s corner is headed away.

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