Olivier Giroud’s spectacular winner may have snatched the headlines but the French striker insisted it had been Petr Cech who was Arsenal’s Europa League match-winner as they secured a 1-0 victory away to Red Star Belgrade.
Giroud struck an 85th minute overhead kick to secure victory over the 10 men of Red Star on a challenging night in the Rajko Mitic Stadium.
However Arsenal were only in a position to extend their Europa League winning run thanks to Cech’s heroics in the first half, when he made a crucial save from Nemanja Radonjic’s close range volley.
It was not the only occasion on which the 35-year-old, preferred to regular cup goalkeeper David Ospina, came to Arsenal’s rescue and Giroud insisted Cech deserved all the credit for the three points.
“We owe him maybe the win today because he has been amazing two or three times,” Giroud said. “We know he has this quality and he was a great goalkeeper tonight.”
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was also keen to lay praise at Cech’s door as his side earned a five point lead at the halfway stage of Group H.
“It was a very difficult game with high intensity,” Wenger told reporters. “We kept going and tried to win the game. They did as well in fairness. Cech made some good saves.
“We got a win that gives credit to the mentality of the team.”
