Gunners gut out tough win

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted nothing is decided in Group F as the Gunners' 1-0 Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund kept them on top only on goal difference.

Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey headed the crucial second-half goal as Arsenal avenged its 2-1 defeat at home to the Germans two weeks ago.

Arsenal became the first team since Stuttgart in November 2012 to prevent Dortmund scoring at home, but stays atop Group F on goal difference with nine points, level with Napoli.

"It's difficult to say how the group will go now," said a cautious Wenger, whose team hosts Marseille in two weeks, then travels to Napoli in December.

"We have to win our home game, just like Dortmund. There is still a lot of football left to play.

"It was a difficult win for us, but we took our chances."

Dortmund had 13 shots compared to Arsenal's four, but the visitors made their chances count.

"It was a tough game; Dortmund had better chances in the first half, but we took ours and we weren't under so much pressure once we went ahead," said Wenger.

"Dortmund fought fantastically hard and had us under pressure, but we managed to get the goal.

"We were mature tactically, didn't make many big mistakes and we showed patience.

"We had a tough phase at the start of the second half and after we went 1-0 up we weren't under as much pressure and even had our chances for a second goal."

Having dropped to third in the standings, last season's Champions League finalist Dortmund possibly has to win both its remaining games at home to Napoli, then away to Marseille to keep alive its hopes of reaching the knock-out stages.

"Losing the game was unnecessary, but we haven't lost hope yet, everything is still possible as long as we win the remaining two games," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

"It's definitely going to get exciting from now on.

"I told the team, what everyone saw today, that we weren't rewarded for our efforts.

"We hadn't planned on losing the game and it wasn't necessary. But it's not over; we still have every chance of two wins."

Captain Roman Weidenfeller was furious with the result of the match played in heavy rain.

"Football can be unfair at times," said the goalkeeper. "We had a bit of luck in London and we were punished for it tonight.

"Unfortunately, we lacked a bit of purpose going forward and we wanted to do things a bit too nicely."

Arsenal's Germany center-back Per Mertesacker, who kept Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski subdued, said the Gunners had simply stuck to their prematch plan to contain Borussia's potent attack.

(China Daily 11/08/2013 page23)