UEFA Europa League
Result: Arsenal 0-0 Red Star Belgrade
Date: 02 November 2017
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Arsenal have qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Red Star Belgrade.
Debutant Matt Macey, who started ahead of Petr Cech for Arsenal, had an unconvincing start to the game — miscuing a clearance and gifting Richmond Boakye the ball in the fifth minute. However, Rob Holding dispossessed the striker at the vital moment.
Close to the 10 minute mark, Olivier Giroud forced a save from Macey's opposite number, Milan Borjan, at the other end after having been teed up by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The game quietened down until the 34th minute, when Borjan denied Giroud for a second time. The Canadian rushed out to smother the striker after he was played through by Joseph Willock.
Red Star hit Arsenal on the counter and Slavoljub Srnic forced a save from Macey at the other end. Straight afterwards, the young goalkeeper was called into action again as he tipped Vujadin Savic's header onto the crossbar.
In the 45th minute, Boakye squandered a golden chance to put the visitors ahead. With only Macey to beat, he somehow put the ball wide of the target.
The teams went into half-time deadlocked at 0-0.
Arsenal looked more comfortable in the opening stages of the second half and heaped pressure on the Red Star defence.
The Gunners had two penalty shouts turned down just before the 60 minute mark. First, Jack Wilshere went down in the box claiming a foul from Savic. Straight afterwards, the Gunners appealed for a handball from the centre-back. Both times, referee Luca Banti was unmoved.
In the 64th minute, Damien Le Tallec made a heroic clearance off the line to deny Wilshere the opener.
16 minutes later, Nemanja Milic set Boakye up inside the box, creating another glorious chance. However, the Ghanaian missed the target again.
Despite plenty of chances at both ends, neither side was able to find a winner.
Arsenal dropped their first points of the tournament, but remain top of the group with 10 from four games. Red Star now sit second, five points behind the Gunners following a solid performance.
