Arsenal 6, Ludogorets Razgrad 0: Mesut Ozil smashes hat-trick in Gunners’ Champions League rout
Arsenal 6, Ludogorets Razgrad 0
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed arch-provider Mesut Ozil's new-found hunger for goals after the German's first career hat-trick crowned the Gunners' seventh successive win in all competitions.
Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain also struck in a demolition of Bulgarian title-winners Ludogorets Razgrad that sent Wenger's men top of Champions League Group A.
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Ozil's haul doubled his season's tally and underlined his importance to Arsenal as uncertainty lingers over his long-term future in north London. For now, however, his manager was happy to savour his contribution.
"It looks like he has got a taste to score goals because he goes more behind [the defence]," said Wenger. "Before, he liked only to come to the ball and provide. We want him to be a provider and a scorer, and it looks like he is slowly moving to that better balance.
"Maybe the confidence is high, maybe we have a good balance at the moment in the team, and maybe we make more of our chances. Is that because the final ball is better? Is that because our finishing is better? It's difficult to analyse, but what is for sure is that we score more goals."
Walcott might have already put Arsenal ahead when Sanchez sprung the offside trap in the 12th minute, cut inside and, ignoring his team-mate free to his right, floated over Vladislav Stoyanov into the far corner.
At the other end, David Ospina justified his European recall by darting off his line three times to thwart Jonathan Cafu, one of four Brazil-born players in the Ludogorets XI who outnumbered the native Bulgarians.
Arsenal poured forward though and in the 42nd minute, having wasted an earlier opening with a languid shot, Ozil cleverly cut back to the unmarked Walcott just outside the box, who crashed a rasping strike past Stoyanov.
If that was a dent in any comeback hopes, they were sunk altogether seconds after the interval when Ludogorets only half-cleared a Kieran Gibbs cross and Oxlade-Chamberlain side-footed the loose ball into the bottom right corner.
It was turning into an exhibition and Ozil was next to take centre stage, the No11 illustrating his renewed appetite for goals by darting onto Santi Cazorla's early ball over the top and slotting Arsenal's fourth.
The rout allowed Wenger to give fringe players cameos. Substitute Lucas Perez took advantage of his by laying on a tap-in for Ozil and then, moments later, crossing for him to lash a sweet first-time volley in at the near post.