Arsenal -2 Borussia Dortmund - 0 One down, 16 to go for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger has been bold enough to say his team will win the Champions League this season, and they overcame their first hurdle last night after just over an hour of frustration against a stubborn and well-organised Borussia Dortmund.
Dennis Bergkamp's deflected goal gave Arsenal the lead, and a fantastic, end-to-end move enabled Freddie Ljungberg to secure the win on his first start. David Seaman's throw set Sylvain Wiltord galloping down the right and he fed Thierry Henry, whose instant touch sent Ljungberg through.
At times Arsenal struggled to find their best but they were rewarded for their patience and could have won more heavily.
Seaman had few worrying moments, though greater tests lie at PSV Eindhoven and Auxerre in the next fortnight. In his match programme notes Wenger had said: "(Other coaches) perhaps think they will win it but they don't say it," he wrote. "But I will, because I'm convinced we can win it. The desire is there, the experience is there, so we can give it everything and go and win it."
Poor away results have tended to cost Arsenal and everything here had pointed to a triumph for Wenger's side. Although Deportivo La Coruna won 2-0 at Highbury in the last Champions League fixture here, that was preceded by seven straight Arsenal wins in Europe on home soil.
Wenger had sprung a surprise by throwing Ljungberg straight in after the midfielder's recovery from a hip problem. The Swede and Henry did worry the German champions with their speed, but Dortmund gave the impression they would be hard to break down.
Their coach, Matthias Sammer, had detailed his players to pull behind the ball when Arsenal were in possession and it seemed the home team would need their pace or Bergkamp's precise passing to prosper.
A couple of times in the opening 15 minutes Bergkamp produced touches through the centre that did not quite come off, and Arsenal were finding Dortmund more difficult to find a way past than most of the Premiership opponents they meet here. The Double winners' passing was not at its sharpest, though Dortmund were reading things better than most.
Whereas some Champions League fixtures can produce non-stop attacking action, Dortmund were adopting a slightly more cautious approach, while looking to use the speed of Ewerthon and Juan Ramon Fernandez on the break together with the height of Jan Koller.
Knowing Arsenal are at their best on viciously quick counter-attacks, Sammer had clearly done his best not to get lured into Wenger's trap. He almost suffered, though, when a Dortmund corner was cleared and, in a flash, Wiltord sent Henry towards goal. A good low save by Jens Lehmann denied the French striker.
That provided the spark for Arsenal to offer more of a threat. Shortly after, a fantastic pass by Bergkamp gave Henry another sight of goal, and Wiltord ought to have scored just after the half-hour. Fed by Henry, his first touch was slightly loose and Lehmann saved.
The danger Dortmund could pose was made apparent before the interval when the lively Torsten Frings provided a cross which Oleg Luzhny did well to block as Fernandez closed in, and Fernandez was inches over with a rising shot that had David Seaman beaten.
Although Henry slipped the ball into the net shortly after half-time, it was ruled offside, and Arsenal had to resume their challenge of breaking down Dortmund, who had Jorg Heinrich and Sebastian Kehl as a constant screen in front of the back four.
Arsenal were dominating possession and looking the far likelier scorers and the breakthrough finally arrived in the 62nd minute. Wiltord's pass from near the edge of the area snaked through to Bergkamp, with the help of dummy run by Ljungberg, and the Dutchman clipped a shot past Lehmann via a deflection off Metzelder. .
ARSENAL: Seaman, Luzhny (Lauren 73), Keown, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg (Cygan 84), Vieira, Silva, Wiltord (Toure 89), Henry, Bergkamp. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Jeffers, Pennant, Kanu. Goals: Bergkamp 62, Ljungberg 77.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Lehmann, Evanilson, Kehl, Heinrich, Fernandez (Herrlich 72), Madouni, Metzelder, Dede, Frings, Kohler, Ewerthon (Reina 72). Subs Not Used: Weidenfeller, Reuter, Oliseh, Odonkor, De Deus Santos. Booked: Dede.
Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).
