Vamos roared Unai Emery as Sokratis thumped home Arsenal's decisive third.You didn't need to be fluent in Spanish to comprehend what it meant to the Gunners manager
His contorted expression said it all.Crisis averted. Because that's exactly what it would have been had Arsenal suffered embarrassment here at the Emirates Stadium
Sokratis found himself on the scoresheet as Arsenal progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday evening The Greece international came off the bench to head home Arsenal's third goal during their second-leg win over BATE Borisov The powerful centre back wheels away in celebration after scoring the Gunners' third on the hour mark on Thursday He was quickly congratulated by his team-mates as the Premier League outfit proved too much for their Belarusian opponentsTrailing 1-0 from the first leg, the Gunners had little margin for error against BATE Borisov - even though the gulf in class between the two sides is abundantly clear
But in what had the potential to be an extremely anxious night, Arsenal kept their nerve to reach the Europa League last 16 - headers from Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis adding to Zakhar Volkov's early own goal
Questions remain over Arsenal's evolution under Emery. At times, their performance against the Belarusian side lacked cohesion and appeared disjointed
But at this stage of the season, results outweigh the performances. Emery - who has won this competition three times - knows that more than most
Share this article Share In his time of need, Emery turned to Mesut Ozil, recalled to the starting XI despite the lingering doubt over his future at the club
By the end of the evening the German was wearing the captain's armband.Maybe there is a place for Ozil in Emery's plans after all
His contribution against BATE would certainly have provided his manager with food for thought
It took four minutes to wipe out the deficit from their humiliating first-leg defeat - Volkov turning into his own net, under pressure from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's low cross
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE Cech 6.5; Lichtsteiner 7, Mustafi 7, Koscielny 6
5 (Sokratis 57, 7), Monreal 6.5; Guendouzi 6.5 (Torreira 63, 6.5), Xhaka 7.5; Mkhitaryan 6
5 (Suarez 78), Ozil 7, Iwobi 7; Aubameyang 7. Leno, Ramsey, Kolasinac, Nketiah.: Volkov OG (4), Mustafi (39), Sokratis (60) Unai Emery 7 Scherbitski 5; Rios 5, Volkov 5, Filipenko 5
5, Filipovic 6; Simovic 5.5, Dragun 5 (Berezkin 64, 5); Milic 5, Baga 5.5 (Hleb 58, 5
5), Stasevich 6; Skavysh 5.5 (Dubajic 72). Chichkan, Yablonski, Nemirko, Moumkam
Aleksei Baga - 5.5Alberto Mallenco - 6 Xhaka CLICK HERE to view our brilliant Match Zone - including the move that resulted in BATE Borisov's Zakhar Volkov scoring an own goal
All eyes were on Mesut Ozil with the Arsenal playmaker making a rare start for manager Unai Emery's side It took Arsenal just four minutes to cancel out their first-leg deficit when Zakhar Volkov (centre) put through his own net The 21-year-old watches on as he is unable to prevent himself from deflecting Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang's cross into goal The midfielder cuts a forlorn figure after putting the visitors on the back foot so early on Thursday evening The Belarusian's mood contrasted with Aubameyang's as the Gabon international celebrated his side's opening goal The striker was congratulated by team-mate Matteo Guendouzi as Arsenal supporters celebrated in the backgroundFrom the outset you sensed Arsenal meant business, a far cry from their pathetic display out in Borisov last week
Alex Iwobi twice went close to scoring, a curling effort that drifted narrowly wide of Denis Scherbitski's far post particularly eye-catching
Ozil, too, was fully involved as the Gunners went for the jugular. The pattern of Arsenal's play flows far more fluently when the German's in the team
The fans made their feelings crystal clear before the game, affording Ozil the biggest cheer of any Arsenal player as their names were read out over the PA system before kick-off
Supporters want him in the starting XI this week, Emery still needs convincing. Ozil's made a promising start in his attempts to win back his manager's trust
It's no exaggeration to say Arsenal could have been three-up inside eight minutes but the threat of conceding, and the consequences of surrendering an away goal, was clear
Particularly in the ninth minute when Stephan Lichtsteiner cleared off the line from Stanislav Dragon following Dmitiri Baga's back-post cross
The Emirates was not sold out for the game but it was not as empty as originally feared due to the anti-social 6pm kick-off Arsenal manager Emery barks out instructions to his team from the sidelines as they look to take the lead in the tie Alex Iwobi tries to skip beyond the visitors' backline during the Europa League clash in north London on Thursday Henrikh Mkhitaryan was on the receiving end of this strong tackle from Nemanja Milic but BATE couldn't live with ArsenalThe Emirates breathed a huge sigh of relief
So did Lichtsteiner, who lost Dragan in the build-up; redeeming himself with his last-gasp clearance
BATE's opportunity served as a warning to Arsenal. For all their positivity, this game was far from over
Indeed, after their breakneck opening Arsenal's fluency started to desert them. Granit Xhaka saw his effort from distance punched over the bar before Aubameyang squandered two half-chances
But this wasn't what Arsenal's bright start promised. Scrappy and disjointed.That was until the 39th minute when Arsenal took the lead for the first time in the tie
There was very little finesse about it; Mustafi powering home a header from Xhaka's corner
The tension eased off the Emirates, which wasn't anywhere near as empty as originally feared due to the anti-social 6pm kick-off
Yet the repercussions of a BATE goal remained. Just one slip, one mistake, could result in an away goal that would cost Arsenal dear
Had it not been for Petr Cech's reflexes, Borisov would have thrown a spanner in the works in the 48th minute - Maksim Skavysh's close-range effort saved by the goalkeeper after Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal failed to clear their lines
Germany international Shkodran Mustafi rose the highest to head home the Premier League's second of the evening Mustafi watches on as his header, from a corner, nestles into the back of the BATE Borisov net shortly before half time The 26-year-old was quickly mobbed by his team-mates who now had control of the Europa League last-32 encounterIwobi, who continued to be a constant threat, saw his low effort from Ozil's pass stopped by Scherbitski soon after
Emery was forced into a 57th-minute substitution, Koscielny limping off with what appeared to be a calf injury to be replaced by fit-again Sokratis
A minute later former Arsenal forward Alex Hleb was given a hero's reception by the home supporters when he was introduced by BATE manager Aleksei Baga
But there were louder cheers a few seconds later when Sokratis thumped home another header from Xhaka's inswinging corner to erase any doubt of the outcome
Ozil and Aubameyang missed two excellent chances to score a fourth, but by that point the tie was over
Arsenal's involvement in the Europa League, however, continues. Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny had to be substituted against BATE Borisov after he picked up an injury to his leg Koscielny, who was out from May to November last year after rupturing his achilles, looked frustrated as he got treatment Ex-Arsenal man Alex Hleb was given a hero's reception by the home supporters when he was introduced by BATE Share this article Share
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