It was not the easiest wins for Arsenal against Olympiakos but it sure was one of the most satisfying. The Gunners played great football and looked a lot better than expected, given the important absences due to injury. It did not matter though that Cazorla, Coquelin, Wilshere or Sanchez were out as Ozil, Cech, Ramsey and Giroud were shining.
The game had a great pace with both teams starting out strong. The Greeks had a bunch of chances but the defense did well to fend off any attempt on goal. Koscielny was in good form and had a positive impact on the game’s outcome. Giroud broke the ice in the 30th minute just after Ramsey hit the post a couple of minutes back. The Frenchman continued his scoring spree with a great header that came after Ramsey and Ozil showcased amazing passing skills.
Giroud went on to score a hat-trick, bringing his goal total to 13 this season. If he manages to keep it up, he might just be that striker everyone was talking about – a +20 goal striker. One other positive thing that might emerge from last night’s game is Joel Campbell’s performance. The winger did well to create the second goal and managed to stay in the game more than he did during the past few matches.
Given the importance of the match and also given the way the players performed against Olympiakos, this game can be added to our list of Arsenal’s best ever Champions League Games. High hopes come from this performance, especially ahead of the Gunners’ clash against Manchester City. Hopefully they will continue playing well and will also improve when players like Sanchez, Wilshere, Cazorla and Coquelin return.