Porto claimed pole position in Champions League Group G as they downed a weakened Arsenal side 2-0.
Unconvincing display sees Gunners suffer 2-0 defeat in Portugal
Porto claimed top spot in UEFA Champions League Group G as they downed a weakened Arsenal side 2-0 at Estadio do Dragao.
The Gunners needed to avoid defeat if they were to secure pole position, but a much-changed starting XI, that included the maligned Emmanuel Eboue, struggled against their opponents.
Bruno Alves opened the scoring in the first half as he headed home from a corner before Lisandro sealed the victory on 54 minutes with an emphatic finish.
Arsene Wenger, who was celebrating his 700th game in charge of Arsenal, made three changes in the second period but it was to no avail as Porto cruised to success.
Repercussions
Arsenal will now be drawn against one of the group winners next Friday - which include Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona - and so must play the second leg away from home.
While the road to the Champions League final in Rome is certainly not blocked for the Gunners, the path has now become somewhat more treacherous.
Eboue had been jeered off when he was replaced toward the end of last weekend's Premier League win over Wigan following some poor touches.
However, the 25-year-old, playing at right-back, was given a warm welcome by the small travelling band of some 1,500 or so Arsenal fans at the Estadio do Dragao, which was far from full.
It was a bright start by the Gunners. After five minutes, Mexican teenager Carlos Vela drew a foul out on the left. Denilson sent in a deep free-kick, which Abou Diaby headed over.
At the other end, Eboue was penalised for running across Hulk as the striker charged towards the Arsenal penalty area.
The free-kick, some 25 yards out, just to the left of the arc, was taken by Bruno Alves and Manuel Almunia had to get down to his right to make a smart save.
With both teams already assured of a place in the last 16, there was something of a low key feel about the match as the quarter-hour marked approached.
The first real chance opened up for the visitors on 25 minutes when Nicklas Bendtner - this week in bright green boots - fed Aaron Ramsey on the right edge of the Porto box.
The young Welshman turned his marker and fired in a low, angled shot, which Helton did well to push around the far post.
Almunia came to Arsenal's rescue when he blocked Lucho Gonzalez's close-range effort and William Gallas hacked the loose ball clear.
Space opened up again in front of the Arsenal box on 33 minutes, this time Raul Meireles drilled a 20-yard strike just wide.
It was no surprise when the home side took the lead six minutes before the break.
A corner from the left was floated into the Arsenal box, and Bruno Alves arrived in front of Diaby at the far post to head past Almunia.
Lacklustre
Arsenal stepped up a gear as they tried to get back on level terms before half-time. However, their delivery into the danger area was poor as the Porto defence stood firm.
The visitors were soon further behind in the 54th minute.
Arsenal gave possession away in midfield, with Fernando picking up the ball and feeding it through to Lisandro at the edge of the box.
The striker made no mistake, smashing his shot into the top right corner.
Arsenal again looked to make an immediate response, with Ramsey's neat turn and shot testing Helton.
Wenger made a double change on 59 minutes, when youngster Kieran Gibbs replaced Diaby and 16-year-old Jack Wilshere for Ramsey.
It would have been all over for the Gunners had Cristian Rodriguez not pulled his angled shot wide when played in on the overlap down the left.
As it was, there remained hope of a comeback and slowly Arsenal mounted some pressure.
However, Rodriguez almost got clear of Eboue as they raced towards the Arsenal goal, but the defender did enough to pressurise the striker into a shot off target.
Lucho dragged his close-range shot wide as the Gunners were exposed at the back once more.
Arsenal were awarded a free-kick just outside the box, but while Bendtner's low shot beat the wall, the Porto keeper collected it comfortably - which just about summed up a lacklustre display from the Gunners.
| FC Porto |
Team Statistics |
Arsenal |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
2 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 2 |
Corners |
4 |
| 14 |
Fouls |
19 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
0 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 74.7 |
Passing Success |
83 |
| 35 |
Tackles |
26 |
| 65.7 |
Tackles Success |
57.7 |
| 42.3 |
Possession |
57.7 |
| 43.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.9 |
|
