Cairo hosts African Union's 5th Awareness Week on Post-Conflict Reconstruction on 19 Nov.    Egyptian pound holds steady in narrow band in early Sunday trade    Standard Bank opens first Egypt office as Cairo seeks deeper African integration    UREGENT: Egypt's unemployment hits 6.4% in Q3 – CAPMAS    Al-Sisi orders expansion of oil, gas and mining exploration, new investor incentives    Climate finance must be fairer for emerging economies: Finance Minister    Cairo intensifies regional diplomacy to secure support for US Gaza resolution at UN    Egypt unveils National Digital Health Strategy 2025–2029 to drive systemwide transformation    Minapharm, Bayer sign strategic agreement to localize pharmaceutical manufacturing in Egypt    Egypt golf team reclaims Arab standing with silver; Omar Hisham Talaat congratulates team    ADCB launches ClimaTech Accelerator 2025    Egypt launches National Strategy for Rare Diseases at PHDC'25    Egypt's Al-Sisi ratifies new criminal procedures law after parliament amends it    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Libya, Sudan at Turkey's SETA foundation    Egypt launches 3rd World Conference on Population, Health and Human Development    Cowardly attacks will not weaken Pakistan's resolve to fight terrorism, says FM    Egypt adds trachoma elimination to health success track record: WHO    Egypt, Latvia sign healthcare MoU during PHDC'25    Egypt, Sudan, UN convene to ramp up humanitarian aid in Sudan    Egyptians vote in 1st stage of lower house of parliament elections    Grand Egyptian Museum welcomes over 12,000 visitors on seventh day    Sisi meets Russian security chief to discuss Gaza ceasefire, trade, nuclear projects    Egypt repatriates 36 smuggled ancient artefacts from the US    Grand Egyptian Museum attracts 18k visitors on first public opening day    'Royalty on the Nile': Grand Ball of Monte-Carlo comes to Cairo    VS-FILM Festival for Very Short Films Ignites El Sokhna    Egypt's cultural palaces authority launches nationwide arts and culture events    Egypt launches Red Sea Open to boost tourism, international profile    Omar Hisham Talaat: Media partnership with 'On Sports' key to promoting Egyptian golf tourism    Sisi expands national support fund to include diplomats who died on duty    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Arsenal reaches Champions League group stage
Arsenal swept aside its poor domestic start and beat Udinese 2-1 Wednesday to qualify for the Champions League group phase for the 14th consecutive season
AP Published in Ahram Online on 24 - 08 - 2011

After Antonio Di Natale had put Udinese in front in the 39th minute at the Friuli stadium, Arsenal replied with goals from new captain Robin van Persie in the 55th and Theo Walcott in the 69th.
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved a penalty shot from Di Natale in the 59th and Arsenal advanced on 3-1 aggregate, with Walcott having scored early in a 1-0 win in the opening leg last week.
Lyon and Benfica also advanced, joining BATE Borisov of Belarus and Czech side Viktoria Plzen in Thursday's draw for the lucrative group stage. They will be pooled with the likes of defending champion Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and Europe's other elite clubs.
While Arsenal is often mentioned alongside Europe's best squads, it arrived in Italy in crisis mode, having managed just one point from two English Premier League matches—including its first home loss to Liverpool in 11 years—and having lost two key players in the transfer market.
With former captain Cesc Fabregas already having gone back to Barcelona, Arsenal announced Tuesday it had reached a deal to send France midfielder Samir Nasri to Manchester City.
Making matters more complicated was a two-match ban in Europe for Arsene Wenger, although UEFA temporarily lifted the suspension to consider an appeal and allowed the Arsenal manager to patrol the touchline against Udinese.
Wenger's presence didn't seem to matter much at the start, though, with Di Natale galvanizing his club with something spectacular on seemingly every possession in the first half.
Di Natale had already hit the post with a sliding shot inside the box in the 23rd when he made a quick glance to see where Szczesny was positioned, then didn't even leave the ground as he redirected a pass from Giampiero Pinzi with a header from near the penalty spot that went in off the far post.
Di Natale led Serie A in scoring the past two seasons with a total of 57 goals, and he also hit the woodwork in the opening leg, banging a free kick off the crossbar.
Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic was also sharp in the first half, stopping consecutive close-range chances from Walcott and Van Persie following an incursion by newly signed Arsenal winger Gervinho in the 32nd.
Wenger replaced Emmanuel Frimpong with Tomas Rosicky in midfield to begin the second half but it was Gervinho who set up Van Persie's goal, sliding a cross in for the Dutch international to strike in from the top of the goalbox.
After a goal judge signaled for an Arsenal handball, Szczesny guessed correctly and dove to his right to deflect Di Natale's penalty up over the bar and Walcott then sped past Udinese's defense and beat Handanovic to seal the win.

Clic here to read the story from its source.