Arsenal passes BATE to reach the final round of the Europa League

Arsenal has secured a spot in the last 16 places of the Europa League thanks to a stunning victory against BATE Borisov at the Emirates Stadium, while Mesut Ozil has returned to the starting lineup.

The Gunners had to turn back in the second leg after a surprise 1-0 defeat in Belarus last week. Unai Emery's men completed their comeback with a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Given the kickoff of the match at 17:55, there was a large enough crowd to cheer Arsenal in the next round, thanks to a goal by Zakhar Volkov in the fourth minute and the heads of the defensive duo Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis. Papastathopoulos.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has seen his team progress (Nick Potts / PA)

Emery chose to call back Ozil after leaving home for the first leg and after telling the German that he had to overcome minor injuries and episodes of illness to keep a regular spot at its ratings.

The highest paid player in club history has responded by displaying a good display, connecting the game well and showing flashes of skill that are often missing in games.

Alex Iwobi tested Denis Scherbitski in the preliminary rounds as he recovered a center from Stephan Lichtsteiner before shooting in goalkeeper BATE's gloves.

Moments later and Arsenal ahead, Volkov inadvertently sent a center from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang past Scherbitski to give the hosts a crucial goal to tie the game in total.

Shkodran Mustafi (center) of Arsenal scores his team's second goal (Nick Potts / PA)

The Gunners had a decent chance to advance for the first time in both legs, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan, guilty of missing a superb early opportunity in Belarus, flamed high and wide just inside. of the repair area.

If Arsenal thought they were about to qualify for the round of 16, they would wake up quickly when the Belarussian champion created two scoring opportunities in a matter of minutes.

Maksim Skavysh opened fire after defeating Nacho Monreal before Stanislav Dragun – the winner of the match in Borisov – saw a goal scored by Lichtsteiner.

Scherbitski had to punch a Granit Xhaka long-distance shot before Aubameyang headed to the top of the net as Arsenal tried to regain his sharp edge.

Ozil had largely simplified things since his return to the side, but he flew as the half went on – although the score was always doubled before the interval.

Mustafi, so often criticized for his defense, was perfectly shot by Xhaka for a corner and the German did not make a mistake by giving a header at the back of the net.

A goal for BATE would have been enough to see them advance, but Arsenal was soon looking for a third goal to take full control of the game. Matteo Guendouzi scored a shot vertically after the restart.

BATE was half-threatened on occasion, but it was Scherbitski who was busier than his counterpart Petr Cech, repelling an Iwobi effort while Emery's men were looking for a third.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (center) of Arsenal mark (Nick Potts / PA)

Captain Laurent Koscielny was injured. He was replaced by Sokratis, back from the match, Ozil taking the armband.

Sokratis was on the pitch less than four minutes as he headed for third base, climbing to the last post to sneak into an empty goal after Scherbitski had left his line and taken nowhere near another Xhaka corner. .

Ozil should have sealed a good display with a goal of his own but fluffing his lines with the ball fell to him seven meters from goal.

Arsenal saw the match in a professional manner, Denis Suarez left the bench to make his home debut and head to Friday's draw to avoid the biggest clubs again.