Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb (January 22, 2025) Match Analysis

Arsenal almost secured a place among the top eight places in the Champions League when they outclassed visitors Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 on Wednesday thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard.

Rice headed in the opener two minutes after a clever break from Havertz and the German put Arsenal in full control with a 66th-minute header. Captain Ødegaard put the icing on the cake with a third in stoppage time.

The win lifted Arsenal into third place on 16 points and, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the last 16, only an extraordinary sequence of results in next week’s final round of group games could deny Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal travel to Girona for their final game, where a draw will be enough to avoid any possibility of being drawn into a two-legged playoff in February.

Defeat to Fabio Cannavaro’s Dinamo side left them in the elimination places ahead of their final game at home to AC Milan which they will need to win to have any chance of a playoff spot.

ArsenalThe Premier League title challenge suffered a blow as they were held 2-2 Aston Villa on Saturday.

But they have been extremely reliable in the Champions League and a fifth win in seven games was always on the cards when Rice drilled a low shot wide Ivan Nevistic after Havertz padded a pass to him from one Gabriel Martinelli cross.

It was Rice’s first goal in the Champions League.

Arsenal were occasionally threatened on the counter attack as Dinamo showed plenty of pace going forward.

Arteta’s side began the second half in lackluster fashion, but when Martinelli crossed for Havertz to head past Nevistic, victory was in the bag.

Rice should have added his second when he headed wastefully wide, but Ødegaard made no mistake late on.