Ostersunds 0 – Arsenal 3: Gunners breeze past Swedish Europa League minnows

But Arsene Wenger had a few more worries navigating his way past the little town’s football team in round 32 of the Europa League, with the sub-zero temperatures and the artificial pitch.

The Frenchman’s team came through their sub-arctic test, though, thanks to goals from Nacho Monreal, an own goal from Sotirios Papagiannopouls, and Mesut Ozil.

It was not particularly pretty, and not in the league of more glamorous wins by Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League this week, but it will do for Wenger.

The return leg at the Emirates – where the entire 50,000 population of Ostersunds could comfortably fit inside – next week should be a formality, and a place in the last 16 secured and that is now crucial for the Arsenal manager.

He named his strongest possible team, with the pressure now really on to qualify for next season’s Champions League via the Europa League, thanks to the Gunners lying eight points off the pace in the Premier League.

Having played the youngsters in the group stages, suddenly Ozil was making his first appearance in the competition this season. In this, the first knockout round, there could be no mistakes.

The 9,000-seater Jamtkraft Arena, with its 4G pitch, could have been a hazard for the Gunners. Temperatures had dropped to -4c by kick off, with the wind chill factor adding another six degrees to that chilly statistic.

The snowbound northern Swedish town was still in the grip of a fierce winter. Temperatures had been in the region of -23c last week, so this was regarded as a mild spell – though it would have brought the UK to a grinding halt.

Snowdrifts more than eight feet high could be seen around the stadium, and people were skiing to the game. Could Arsenal, who have been known to wilt under testing conditions, do it on a freezing Thursday night in Sweden? The answer was that they could but not after a few wobbles.

Ostersunds were actually formed after Wenger took over at Arsenal in October 1996, but under Englishman Graham Potter in seven years they had risen from the fourth tier of Swedish football to playing in Europe.

At the start, six Arsenal players were wearing tights, all but two donning gloves. Ostersunds’ best paid player earns only around £2,000-a-week, so the gulf in class and status was huge. And it showed early on.

Danny Welbeck should have given the Gunners the lead but somehow headed wide from point blank range and as Ostersunds began nervously with too many basic errors, Papagiannopoulos had to clear off the line from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But the Swedes were caught again when goalkeeper Aly Keita dropped Alex Iwobi’s shot after a corner was not cleared and Monreal popped in the rebound in.

Mkhitaryan then saw his shot pushed away by Keita before once again the Ostersunds defence collapsed. The ball was given away in their own penalty area again, and Mkhitaryan’s cross shot was deflected into his own net by Papagiannopoulos.

At this stage it looked like being little more than a training ground stroll for Wenger’s team, as they stroked the ball around. But then Arsenal relaxed and almost paid for it.

First Salisu Gero’s header had to be saved by David Ospina and then Calum Chambers gave the ball away, and the Arsenal goalkeeper had to pull off a brilliant fingertip save from Saman Ghoddos’ dipping volley.

Arsenal were suddenly under pressure. They were breaking dangerously but over-elaborating, with Welbeck a particular culprit.

Ghoddos got clear again only to shoot wide of the post and Ostersunds, at first seemingly overawed despite wins over Galatasaray and Hertha Berlin earlier on in the competition, had found their feet. Not easy in more way than one tonight.

But then came another defensive blunder and Arsenal’s nerves were settled on the hour.

Mkhitaryan crossed, Ozil found space and shot low, and his effort went through Keita to trickle over the line. In the final minute Ostersunds should have had some reward for their efforts, as Hector Bellerin brought down Tesfaldet Tekie. But even then substitute Tom Pettersen’s penalty was too close to Ospina, who saved easily. Tricky underfoot it may have been but Arsenal tiptoed through it.

OSTERSUNDS: (5-3-2): Keita 5; Mensah 6, Mukibi 6, Papagiannopoulos 5, Petterson 6, Widgren 6 (Bergqvist 73); Edwards 6, Nouri 6 (Hopcutt 46), Sema 6; Ghoddos 7, Gero 6 (Tekie 46 6).

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina 7; Bellerin 7, Chambers 7, Mustafi 7, Monreal 7 (Kolasinac 73 6); Elneny 7, Maitland-Niles 7; Iwobi 7, Ozil 7, Mkhitaryan 8 (Nelson 84 6); Welbeck 6 (Nketiah 82 6). Goals: Monreal 14, Papagiannopoulos og 24, Ozil 58.

Referee: D Borbalan (Spain).