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Europa League | Round of 32
Feb 15, 2018 at 6pm UK
 
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0-3

FT(HT: 0-2)
Monreal (13'), Papagiannopoulos (24' og.), Ozil (58')

Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck criticises Ostersunds FK pitch

Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck hints towards his performance against Ostersunds FK being potentially hampered by concerns about playing on an artificial pitch.

Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has suggested that his performance against Ostersunds FK was compromised by concerns about playing on an artificial pitch.

The Gunners ran out 3-0 winners in Thursday night's Europa League last-32 first leg thanks to strikes from Nacho Monreal and Mesut Ozil, plus a Sotirios Papagiannopoulos own goal.

Welbeck, who has recently recovered from a knee injury, failed to make much of an impact on the game and was largely a spectator at the 3G-clad Jamtkraft Arena.

"The pitch was hard, l knew coming here it would be difficult, with the players they've got they like to keep the ball, and we had to keep our cool, be patient," the England man told BT Sport.

"Maybe we could have played the ball forward a bit quicker, try to catch them out, but it was a professional start.

"It's a 3G pitch. I made sure I did my rehab. You hear stories, but I felt fine, just looking to get more minutes under my belt after injuries."

Arsenal host the second leg of the last-32 tie at Emirates Stadium next Thursday.

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Arsene Wenger watches on during the Premier League game between Everton and Arsenal on October 22, 2017
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Group A

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Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

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Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

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Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
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Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
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Q Belgium Belgium31114
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Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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