Gunners ease into Champions League group stages

LONDON: Arsenal eased into the group stages of the Champions League on Wednesday by outclassing Celtic 3-1 to enter a draw where they will be joined by Fiorentina, VfB Stuttgart, Olympiakos and APOEL Nicosia.

A controversial penalty converted by Brazilian-born Eduardo after 28 minutes allowed Arsenal to build on their 2-0 victory in Glasgow in the first leg of their final playoff round tie last week.

Well-crafted goals by Emmanuel Eboue and Andrei Arshavin after the break underlined the gulf in class between the two sides although Massimo Donati salvaged a little pride for the Scottish side and their visiting army of fans, lashing a volley with the last kick of a one-sided tie.