Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Arsenal

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Borussia Dortmund v ArsenalImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Arsenal were unbeaten in their previous six games in Germany

  • Arsenal manage just four shots

  • Aubameyang scores one and hits bar

  • Teenager Bellerin starts for Gunners

  • Arsenal at home to Galatasaray next

Arsenal's Champions League Group D campaign got off to a poor start as Borussia Dortmund scored either side of half-time to secure a deserved victory.

Ciro Immobile opened the scoring after powering past Laurent Koscielny to beat Wojciech Szczesny with a low finish.

Dortmund doubled their lead when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished another fine breakaway.

Aubameyang also hit the bar, while Danny Welbeck wasted Arsenal's best chance when clean through.

Former Arsenal striker John Hartson on BBC Radio 5 live:

"Arsenal papered over the cracks last season, winning the FA Cup and just sneaking into the top four. Their performances against the big teams in the past few years have been unacceptable. They could have conceded five or six against Dortmund. Without overreacting, it was a really woeful defensive performance from Arsenal."

Arsenal, competing at this stage of the Champions League for the 17th year in a row, have progressed to the knockout rounds before despite losing their opening group game.

But they will have to improve significantly after a woeful display in which they were outfought and outplayed for long periods at Signal Iduna Park.

The Gunners arrived in Germany unbeaten in their previous six visits to the country.

Yet Dortmund, who had 22 shots compared to Arsenal's four, should have won by a more handsome scoreline after a careless performance by Arsene Wenger's side.

Media caption,

Wenger disappointed by Gunners' performance

The visitors, missing defenders Nacho Monreal, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, fielded 19-year-old full-back Hector Bellerin, whose only previous senior outing was a 26-minute substitute appearance in a League Cup tie.

Along with his team-mates, the Spaniard, who spent three months of last season on loan in the Championship at Watford, spent most of the first half on the back foot.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had already let the Gunners off the hook with some wasteful finishing before Immobile broke the deadlock in the 45th minute.

It came after Arsenal conceded possession on the edge of the Dortmund area, a long clearance finding former Torino forward Immobile, who kept his composure before finding the net with a low angled finish after gliding past Koscielny.

Shortly before Immobile's opener, Welbeck - on his second Gunners appearance since joining from Manchester United - dragged a wonderful chance wide from inside the area after clever play by Aaron Ramsey.

It was to prove a costly miss. The second half was just three minutes old when Aubameyang skipped round Szczesny to bundle the ball over the line after the Gunners keeper and Per Mertesacker got in each other's way.

Aubameyang rattled the bar with a rising shot from the edge of the area after Arsenal's defence was again hopelessly exposed by another swift German counter-attack.

Defeat leaves the Gunners bottom of the group after Galatasaray and Anderlecht drew 1-1.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Arsene Wenger celebrates his 18th anniversary in charge of Arsenal on 30 September

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Arsenal conceded two or more goals for the 11th time in their past 19 Champions League away games

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Danny Welbeck was making his second appearance for Arsenal

Image source, AP
Image caption,

Borussia Dortmund's next Champions League group game is away to Anderlecht on 1 October

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Arsenal lost 3-0 at home to Inter Milan in their opening group game in the 2003-04 Champions League before progressing to the quarter-finals

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Dortmund's opening goal against Arsenal came from their 15th shot of the game

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