Amy Lawrence’s match report from the Emirates has landed, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company, congratulations to Arsenal. Bye!
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Post-match reaction
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang “I missed two chances to close the game, but okay. Everyone is happy that we are through. Arsenal have to be proud to have young players like Ainsley. We are all happy. Rennes were a bit nervous and angry, but that’s football. I needed a mask to represent me, so I chose the Black Panther, because in Gabon we call the national team the Panthers.”
Ainsley Maitland-Niles “It was fantastic to score, a great feeling. We’re showing that we are good enough – we have great spirit and we’re fighting for each other on the pitch.”
The line-up for the quarter-final of the Europa League is Arsenal, Benfica or Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea, Frankfurt, Napoli, Slavia Prague or Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal.
Arsenal started the second leg 3-1 down, yet they were ahead in the tie on away goals by the 15th minute thanks to Aubameyang and Maitland-Niles. It was nervy and scrappy after that, but Aubameyang’s second goal gave Arsenal a safety net and they held on despite a couple of exhilarating late runs from Hatim Ben Arfa.
Full time: Arsenal 3-0 Rennes (aggregate: 4-3)
Peep peep! Arsenal become the sixth English side through to this season’s European quarter-finals.
90+4 min Iwobi gets away with kicking Traore off the ball. He could have been sent off for that.
90+3 min Kolasinac is booked for timewasting.
90+2 min A long cross from the left is headed to the edge of the area, where Niang cracks a left-foot volley that is desperately blocked. For the first time in the match, Arsenal are hanging on.
90+1 min Hunou, flagged offside, shoots wide from eight yards anyway. The chance was created by another exhilarating surge from Ben Arfa.
90 min Arsenal are five added minutes away from the quarter-finals.
88 min An electric burst from Ben Arfa, who beats three players and slides the ball through to Hunou, whose close-range shot is smothered superbly by Cech. It wouldn’t have counted as Hunou had rightly been flagged offside.
87 min Arsenal make their third substitution, with Lucas Torreira replacing the excellent Aaron Ramsey.
83 min Aubameyang misses an even better chance, dragging miserablywide from eight yards after some fleet-footed brilliance from Ramsey. It was beautiful play from Ramsey - a kind of two-footed elastico pass, if that isn’t a complete contradiction. It is a complete contradiction. Just watch it on YouTube.
83 min “Ozil has off days, like any player, but he’s far better than the English media are willing to admit,” says Petr Fremont. “For all the silly noises that get spoken and printed, name another player in that side who makes the players around him better when he plays. The more pertinent question is how does the team respond to him and the usual answer is quite well.”
Have you been secretly filming the English football media’s Agenda Meetings?
82 min Aubameyang misses a great chance for his hat-trick, stabbing wide from close range after a nice through pass from Iwobi.
81 min Bourigeaud is booked for dissent. Rennes have their sulk on.
80 min “Interesting take on ‘both sides trying it on’,” says Francis Peppett. “I count Aubameyang going down once, to at least 7-8 examples of theatrics from Rennes. Kudos to the ref for not rising to it so far.”
I’d argue there’s more than one way to try it on.
79 min Another Rennes change: James Lea Siliki replace Andre.
77 min Mkhitaryan is booked for something or other. Rennes are starting to look resigned to defeat, even though they are only one goal away from taking it to extra-time.
74 min Rennes had to score a goal anyway, so their task hasn’t really changed. The only difference is that a 2-1 scoreline would have put them through, whereas 3-1 would take it to extra time.
73 min Aubameyang was booked for putting a mask on while celebrating the goal. Don’t.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Rennes (Aubameyang 72)
Another simple goal for Aubameyang. Mkhitaryan bides his time before easing a pass down the left to Kolasinac, who fizzes a superb low cross into the area. It beats everyone at the near post and is tapped into an empty net by Aubameyang at the far. He might have been offside then, too, though I suspect he was just okay.
71 min Iwobi almost scores straight away. He controlled Mkhitaryan’s lofted pass nicely on the edge of the area before dragging a left-footed shot just wide.
70 min Rennes also make a change, with Adrien Hunou replacing Clement Grenier.
69 min Unai Emery changes two things, in fact. Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan replace Alex Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.
68 min It’s all Rennes at the moment. Arsenal need to change something.
67 min Arsenal were so good until they went 2-0 up, and then they stopped playing. It’s human nature, I know, but it could come back to bite them because they are a bag of nerves now.
65 min Traore surges forward to win a corner for Rennes. It’s curled towards Bensebaini, who mistimes a flying header onto Koscielny and behind for another corner. That was a chance. Moments later, Bensebaini cracked a fine volley onto the outside of the far post, though he was miles offside.
61 min: Brilliant tackle from Kolasinac! Rennes worked the ball nicely to release Sarr on the right side of the area. His first touch was slightly heavy and that allowed Kolasinac to get back and make a vital sliding block.
60 min The brattish nonsense is so overbearing that it’s easy to forget how close Arsenal are to going out. One Rennes goal is all it would take, unless Arsenal score again.
59 min “I’ve come in late to this game, which seems to be a mix of some football and a lot of something else, perhaps a falling-down contest,” says Charles Antaki. “Have Arsenal scored two very good tumbles? That’s fine with me, but presumably in future rounds the football will become more important.”
58 min Now Arsenal are at it, demanding a custodial sentence for Andre after a foul on Kolasinac. The referee doesn’t show a yellow card this time. I’m not even sure it was a foul.
57 min Sarr drives a cross straight into the hands of Cech. He’s had a very poor game so far.
55 min Lacazette, who has been booked, is penalised for a challenge on Bensebaini. Rennes demand a yellow card, and the referee agrees: he shows it to Grenier.
53 min Both sides are still trying it on with the referee every time there’s a challenge. It’s so boring.
50 min A great long pass down the right from Ramsey releases Aubameyang, who goes around the outrushing keeper Koubek on the edge of the area. The angle becomes too tight, however, and he can only loft the ball into the arms of the recovering Koubek.
48 min Niang’s shot took a deflection off Koscielny, in fact, though I’m not sure whether it would have bothered Cech without that touch. At the other end, Lacazette heads a set piece over the bar from 15 yards.
47 min: Niang hits the post! Mustafi was faffy and lost the ball in a dangerous area to Grenier, who moved it square to Niang on the edge of the area. He took a touch and drove a low shot that beat Cech and rattled off the outside of the near post.
47 min Evening Rob,” says Matt Emerson. “Fancy seeing a picture of Charlie George playing in a charity cricket match? Of course you do – looks like he could have been the next Denis Compton...”
Simon Pegg alongside him has aged well.
46 min Peep peep! Rennes begin the second half.
“Dear Rob,” says Malte Zumbansen. “Just rushed through an exam to be able to watch as much of the match as possible... didn’t see much of that half but oh what a relief it is to see the Arsenal in the classic kit again. Last week in Rennes was shambolic, but perhaps the most embarrassing thing was the way those mint green kits emphasised the players’ sweat. A fright to the eyes, truly.”
You need to play for Brazil in 1982 to get away with that.
“Hi Rob,” says Graham O’Reilly. “Anyone noticed how much better Arsenal suddenly are with Ozil back in the team?”
I don’t watch Arsenal enough to comment, but I suspect some people would answer your question with a question: anyone noticed how much better Ozil is playing since he was dropped?
Offside update Aubameyang was well offside - and in line with the assistant referee - for the second goal. I assume the assistant was distracted by Kolasinac, but it was still a clear and obvious error.
Half-time reading
Half time: Arsenal 2-0 Rennes
Peep peep! Arsenal are ahead on away goals after early goals from Aubameyang and Maitland-Niles. At that stage it looked like they could run away with the tie, but Rennes dominated possession after that, albeit without giving Petr Cech anything to do.
45+1 min Four minutes of added time.
45 min “Bonsoir Rob,” says James Lewis. “I studied at Rennes Uni back in the day (2000-2001) and regularly attended Stade Rennais games. Decent fans and you could stand, sing and drink with relatively no bother (unless Nantes were in town). My guess is that the fans Tekin Sahan heard shouting (ref: 6 min) were singing: ‘Nous sommes Stade Rennais, nous allons gagner!’ Which of course they won’t now...”
44 min Both teams are trying it on all the time with the referee. It’s getting very tedious.
42 min Ramsey is receiving treatment. He slipped when trying to foul Andre and is limping to the touchline. I think he’ll be okay to continue. The Rennes corner is eventually played short to Ben Arfa, who hits a feeble shot through to Cech.
41 min Traore wins a corner for Rennes. Arsenal are starting to look a bit frazzled in defence, and the mood of the game has changed significantly in the last 15 minutes.
39 min A good move from Arsenal. Ozil ghosts infield from the right and slides a pass to Lacazette, who lays it off first time to Ramsey. He opens his body to sweep a rising shot from 20 yards that is too close to Koubek.
37 min “Rob,” says Simon Xu, “just wanted to point out his name is Bourigeaud, not Boungeaud! Talented young player.”
Ach! Thanks. I blame my inadequate eyesight.
36 min Ben Arfa, playing in a free role, is looking increasingly dangerous. He beats Xhaka and Maitland-Niles with ease on the left and whips another dangerous cross that skims off the head of Mustafi and away to safety.
35 min “Just waiting for the away team to get more frustrated and start squaring up to Arsenal players,” says Matt Dony, “so the ref can advise them to ‘Walk away, Rennes.’ I’m here all week. Try the horse.”
34 min Ozil’s flat, curling cross is scissor-kicked well wide by Aubameyang. He shinned it.
