Arsenal crashed to their fourth-successive defeat to equal their worst sequence of results for 19 years and still progressed into the second phase of the Champions League despite a 2-1 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund this evening. Thierry Henry gave the Gunners the lead after 17 minutes with an exquisite 25-yard free-kick before David Seaman suffered a double misery.
Firstly the England goalkeeper, whose performances have been under scrutiny in recent weeks, was beaten after 37 minutes when Tomas Rosicky's free-kick glanced off the head of Gilberto Silva and flashed inside his far post. Then Seaman was harshly adjudged to have tripped Jan Koller in the box and
Rosicky drove home the 62nd-minute penalty. It was not all doom and gloom however, as the fact Auxerre failed to beat PSV Eindhoven in the night's other Group A clash meant Arsene Wenger's team joined Dortmund in the next phase.
Arsenal's performance lacked the flowing football and incisive passing that characterised their fine early season form and it was the first time the English side have lost four games in a row since 1983. Dortmund signalled their intention early on to avenge a 2-0 defeat at Highbury in September, their only defeat in domestic and European competition this season.
German international Lars Ricken, playing his 60th European match, had only Seaman to beat in the second minute after a penetrating pass by Brazilian forward Ewerthon, but his shot hit the post. Arsenal went ahead when Henry curled a stunning free kick over the Dortmund wall and past the static Jens Lehmann.
Dortmund equalised before the breake when Rosicky sent an inswinging free-kick into the box and a deflection from Brazilian Gilberto Silva went in off the post to leave Seaman helpless. The own-goal was the second by one of Arsenal's Brazilian players in two games after Edu put the ball into his own net during Arsenal's 2-1 home defeat against Blackburn on Saturday.
Dortmund concentrated on feeding balls into the giant Koller, who gave England defender Sol Campbell and France's Pascal Cygan a hard time in front of the box. Pumping balls up to Koller nearly paid off in the 14th minute when the striker headed down to force a goal-line clearance from Seaman.
Koller, billed as 6ft 7in tall in the statistics, was involved in the 62nd minute winner when tried to round Seaman as the ball ran away from him towards the end-line. But as he jumped over the diving goalkeeper his boots brushed Seaman's gloves and he went crashing to the floor and won the spot kick. Rosicky stepped up and although Seaman guessed correctly by diving to his right, the penalty was well struck and crashed into the bottom corner.
Arsenal ended the night with that unwanted record of four successive defeats, all of them 2-1, and they must look to restore some confidence in Sunday's Premiership clash at Fulham. But Wenger will no doubt want to focus on the positive note that his team can look forward to competing in the second phase thanks to three impressive victories earlier in the group.
Filed by Shane Murray
