Arsenal 1 Panathinaikos 1: Arsenal's season is being racked by uncertainty. The ever-distressed Pascal Cygan headed a Loukas Vintra shot into his own net after 74 minutes as his side lapsed to a draw.

Jose Antonio Reyes then saw a drive saved and hit the rebound against the bar. But Arsenal were not unlucky, Angelos Basinas missed a penalty after Arsenal had benefited from one of their own.

If Arsenal, beaten by Manchester United and held at home by Southampton, yearned to see a friendly face they found their comforter in Luis Medina Cantalejo. The Spanish referee took the most draconian view of a commonplace incident to award the penalty with which Henry put the Highbury side ahead.

The public at large might be glad if Arsenal, after the angst over Mike Riley's mistakes at Old Trafford, have been reminded that they, too, can be favoured by an official at an important moment. Arsene Wenger had spoken of the manner in which confidence evaporates, but the reservoir should have been replenished by this early breakthrough.

This may still not have been the swashbuckling Arsenal, but they were being careful by design.

Panathinaikos were not to be taken lightly. With Yannis Goumas injured, the coach Zdenek Scasny had to field the 35-year-old Rene Henriksen at centre-back and his side understandably preferred to try and put the accent on attack.

That attitude showed Basinas to advantage. The midfielder, a member of Greece's Euro 2004 winning team, varied his play well. Sensible passes that kept Panathiniakos in possession were leavened with more adventurous touches.

In the opening 12 minutes, he also sent one long-range effort skidding just wide and saw another just deflected safely past.

Arsenal, if not at their best, were hardly cowed and Cesc Fabregas, included because of injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, showed the freakish maturity that is already taken for granted in the 17-year-old. His midfield partner, Patrick Vieira, was at the heart of the incident that paved the way for the opener.

After 16 minutes, Dennis Bergkamp hoisted a free-kick into the middle of the goalmouth. There, Sotirios Kirgiakos laid his hands on Vieira. The degree of contact was open to debate and the Panathinaikos right-back, who inadvertently caught the Frenchman's heel, will argue he was acting no differently from countless defenders before him in the jostling at set-pieces.

But Cantalejo was unyielding, ruling that this was more than the normal interaction when one footballer marks another. He responded to the Arsenal captain's appeal. The award of a penalty must have pleased Thierry Henry, but it must also have applied pressure.

He had, after all, clipped the post with a spot-kick against Southampton in the 2-2 draw. Here Henry swept his shot to the other, left corner of the target, sending the goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias the wrong way. Henry included a pause in the middle of his run-up to outwit the goalkeeper, but Cantalejo saw no irregularity.

The conservatism added to the strain, however, as Arsenal's advantage remained slender and Henry, untypically, was booked for a foul. There was good cause for concern and Panathinaikos should have been level through an irrefutable penalty.

Basinas' free-kick ball skidded from the head of Fabregas and as Ashley Cole twisted to clear he brought down Pantelis Papadopoulos.

Basinas had scored contemptuously from the penalty spot against Portugal in Euro 2004's opening game but here, aiming again for the top corner, he hit the ball high over.

Arsenal, however, were not to be spared for long. When Vintra attempted a 25-yarder from the right in the 74th minute, Cygan tried to block with his head and diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper. Arsenal, too, were off course.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Cygan, Toure, Cole, Ljungberg (Van Persie 82), Vieira, Fabregas, Pires, Henry, Bergkamp (Reyes 72). Subs Not Used: Almunia, Flamini, Senderos, Hoyte, Djourou. Booked: Henry. Goals: Henry 16 pen.

PANATHINAIKOS: Chalkias, Vyntra, Kirgiakos, Henriksen, Kotsios, Konstantinidis, Maric (Morris 89), Basinas, Skacel, Gonzalez (Konstantinou 59), Papadopoulos (Mitu 62). Subs Not Used: Galinovic, Sapanis, Olisadebe, Bykowski. Booked: Gonzalez, Konstantinidis, Skacel. Goals: Cygan 74 og.

Referee : Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain).