Penalty king Kanu held his head in despair after his spot-kick bungle 12 minutes from time stopped Arsenal claiming a famous victory in their Champions League opener against Fiorentina in Florence - and forced him to join a celebrity list of Arsenal wasters.

The towering Nigerian felt two inches tall as his tame effort was cradled in the smothering embrace of goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, who had been booked for bringing down Fredrik Ljungberg when the Swede looked certain to score from a Marc Overmars pass.

And as manager Arsene Wenger seethed in frustration despite a precious and well-earned point, he must have been reflecting on just who he can trust to put away football's simplest of scoring opportunities in future.

Dennis Bergkamp suffered the agony of a penalty miss in the last minute of last season's FA Cup semi-final replay when Manchester United cashed-in on the way to their glorious Treble with a Ryan Giggs stunner in extra-time.

And new Croat star Davor Suker, whom Kanu replaced after an hour of this emotional battle in central Italy, blundered against Liverpool at Anfield three weeks ago when the injured Kanu was missing - having already converted two from the spot this term.

A point was a splendid result for Arsenal, who diligently checked the flow of Fiorentina's star-studded attack and counter-attacked brightly in a match in which both sides should have been awarded penalties even before Kanu's disaster.

But it was covered in bittersweet regret for the London team, as they also missed the best chance of the evening from open play as early as the 11th minute, when Ljungberg failed to beat Toldo from eight yards after Overmars set him up with a perfect pass.

Arsenal recovered from that setback to keep their discipline and put the block on Fiorentina aces Gabriel Batistuta, Predrag Mijatovic and Enrico Chiesa.

Tony Adams and Martin Keown - both playing their fourth games in 12 days - were magnificent even though Argentinian Batistuta's threat was almost ever-present, fed remorselessly by the resourceful Portuguese play-maker Rui Costa.

And after goalkeeper Alex Manninger had made his one really difficult save of the match, plunging to beat out Mijatovic's close-range header in the 38th minute and then diving down among flying boots to grab the loose ball, Arsenal should have had a penalty a minute before the break.

Non-flying Dutchman Bergkamp, who had to make the 850-mile journey by road to play at the Artemio Franchi Stadium against the side now managed by his former Inter Milan boss Giovanni Trapattoni, made no bones about launching himself through the air when challenged by tough Fiorentina marker Alessandro Pierini.

But German referee Hellmut Klug waved away Arsenal's claims, and even though Pierini heavily berated Bergkamp for what he clearly believed was a dive, television evidence appeared to show contact.

In fairness, a spot kick outcome looked just as blatant when Keown tripped up Chiesa early in the second half but again Krugg, maybe seeking to even up the score, turned his back on the Italian side's furious protests.

Arsenal had four players booked, Patrick Vieira, Suker, Keown and Ljungberg, but with Vieira growing stronger the longer the game went on and dominating the midfield with his long legs and driving runs, the visitors looked the more likely winners in the final phase.

And Kanu's failure, on top of a snatched shot over the bar by Adams when he was unmarked and had latched onto an Overmars corner, must have reminded Wenger of the missed chances his side contrived when almost overrunning Lens in their first-ever Champions League test a year ago when they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

That was the catalyst for later failures which saw them miss out on a quarter-final spot, but with the purposeful Suker and Kanu's unpredictable magic - despite his miss - they look better equipped now, even in the so-called Group of Death.

They have the chance to build on this point now with a home game at Wembley next Wednesday against Swedish champions AIK Solna of Stockholm - before the acid test in the awesome Nou Camp against Spanish giants Barcelona.

This start was daunting enough, but Wenger's men handled it well and until that dramatic climax must have delighted their 1,000 travelling fans who were penned in behind fences in one corner of this intimidating venue.

They displayed their familiar defensive strength and resilience to hold off the thrusts of Fiorentina's gifted strikers and although their own strikers were rarely threatening until the later stages of the second half, were good value for their equality.

With Oleg Luzhny making a sound full debut and Ljungberg returning after injury to form a new right flank to replace the suspended Lee Dixon and Ray Parlour, Arsenal were controlled and resolute most of the time, although the quartet of bookings could bring problems later - just as they did last term.

Overmars survived a fitness test on a blistered foot to provide excellent wing service whenever the break was on and will again be a major threat on Wembley's wide acres.

Fiorentina's formidable frontline threesome promised a tougher test for the Premiership side but Wenger will clearly rue the missed opportunity to gain the early away win which he believes could be fundamental to qualification for the second round groups.

FIORENTINA: Toldo, Repka, Padalino, Pierlini, Di Livio, Rui Costa, Cois, Heinrich, Chiesa, Batistuta, Mijatovic. Subs Not Used: Taglialatela, Adani, Fircano, Rossitto, Balbo, Bressan, Amoroso. Booked: Di Livio, Toldo.

ARSENAL: Manninger, Luzhny, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Ljungberg, Vieira, Grimandi, Overmars, Bergkamp, Suker (Kanu 60). Subs Not Used: Lukic, Vivas, Henry, Silvinho, Malz, Upson. Booked: Vieira, Keown, Suker, Ljungberg.

Referee: H Krugg (Germany).