Euro Watch: Dynamo hit five in domestic cup
Arsenal have been dealt a tricky hand in the Group Stage of the Champions League. Former winners FC Porto, Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev await Wenger’s men with the top two advancing to the knockout stages. This season Arsenal.com will be keeping you up to date with the form of the Gunners’ Group G counterparts in our regular Euro Watch.
FC Dynamo Kyiv
Wednesday’s opponents went one better than Arsenal at Blackburn on Saturday by hitting five goals at Olkom Melitopol. Dynamo played a reserve side against their lower division opponents in this Ukrainian League Cup tie but the defeat did no harm to the Champions League preparations of Yuri Semin’s side. Their last League outing saw Dynamo take on leaders Metalurh Donetsk in week seven of the campaign. A 17th-minute strike from in-form Ismael Bangoura was enough to settle the game and lift Dynamo into second in the table, just two points adrift of Metalurh. A brawl in the 88th minute saw Dynamo centre-half Pape Diakhate given his marching orders as well as Metalurh’s Dani Fernandes and captain Vyacheslav Checher.
Fenerbahce SK
Fenerbahce continued their stuttering start to the season on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 at Hacettepe SK. Last season’s Champions League Quarter-Finalists took the lead after 20 minutes through their Brazilian midfielder Alex but went on to concede two second-half goals. They have yet to pick up a point on the road this season. The Yellow Canaries lie 12th in the Turkish Super League and travel to the Estadio do Dragao to face Porto in Group G on Wednesday night.
FC Porto
FC Porto are only two games into their domestic campaign and sit third in the Liga Sagres. An opening-day triumph over OS Belenenses Lisbon was followed by a creditable 1-1 draw at Benfica on August 30. Porto took the lead at the Estadio de Luz after 10 minutes through a Lucho Gonzalez penalty but were pegged back just before the hour. The hosts played the last half-an-hour with 10 men as Kostas Katsouranis saw red for a second bookable offence however the Portugese champions were unable to make their advantage count. Porto resume their domestic campaign on September 21 when they travel to Rio Ave FC.
