There was a moment during the first-half blitz that Arsenal staged here, when they led by three goals and the chances continued to come, that the most outlandish thought flashed through the minds of the romantics. Could Arsène Wenger's team yet win by the six-goal margin that, coupled with a Borussia Dortmund draw against Anderlecht, would have seen them advance into the Champions League last-16 as the Group D winners?
They could easily have led by the required scoreline at half-time, such was their dominance and the fluency of their attacking football combined with the bedraggled nature of Galatasaray’s game. There were plenty of moments for them to savour, chiefly Aaron Ramsey’s quite magnificent long-range howitzer which made the score 3-0 before the half-hour.
The notion drifted away on the Istanbul breeze in the second-half and there was no defeat for Dortmund, meaning that Arsenal qualified, as expected, in second place. The big beasts lie in wait, as they seek to avoid a fifth successive exit at the last-16, but Wenger could savour both the performance and the result.
He had demanded a response after the 3-2 loss at Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday, when Arsenal showed familiar old failings, and he got it. There had not been the usual pressure on his team in this tie, with the qualification already assured and it proved to be an enjoyable occasion, especially as they took Galatasaray apart in the first-half. With a scratch team, Arsenal were up to scratch.
Wenger had played the percentages beforehand. He had given Dortmund only an outside chance of losing at home to Anderlecht, which seemed fair enough, despite the German club’s struggles in the Bundesliga and he came to the conclusion that it was the smarter bet to prioritise the Premier League visit of Newcastle United on Saturday.
His line-up owed plenty to the clutch of players who had been in the “red zone” and were Wenger to have started with his strongest XI, it would have felt riskier. But his under strength side took charge at the outset, as they showed a cutting edge in the final third to expose Galatasaray’s glaring defensive deficiencies.
The opening goal was classic Lukas Podolski, and it followed a driving run by Aaron Ramsey and a cute, slipped pass. Podolski took one touch to steady himself and another to rip a left-footed shot high into the near, top corner of Sinan Bolat's net. Goalkeepers are not supposed to be beaten at their near posts but Sinan was powerless in the face of Podolski's power and accuracy.
The second came from a similar area – the space between the Galatasaray right-back and the centre-half inside him – although this time, it was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain driving forward, beyond the home team’s non-existent defensive midfield protection. He played in Ramsey and the midfielder slotted calmly into the far corner. The home crowd had complained loudly about the non-award of a foul in the build-up by Podolski on Tarik Camdal.
This magnificent, vertiginous stadium is normally rocking hours before kick-off but it was a different vibe here, with Galatasaray already resigned to their fate as the holders of the Group D wooden spoon. It only looked to be about a third full, which made an even bigger mockery of the crazy pre-match traffic. In Istanbul, nothing is certain apart from death, taxes and traffic.
The decibel levels did rise sharply on occasions, such as when Hakan Balta produced a centre-back’s finish in the eighth minute when gloriously placed or when Mathieu Flamini was late on Bruma. The Spanish referee, David Borbalán, raised local hackles.
But it was no exaggeration to say that Arsenal threatened with every forward thrust in the first-half. Podolski rattled the crossbar and he drew a fine save out of Sinan, while Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell each went close before Ramsey scored the third. It was an absolute beauty; a first-time, left-footed rocket into the top corner from 35 yards after a corner had been headed out towards him and he twisted to get his body shape right. There was applause from the Galatasaray fans.
Campbell was denied by Sinan at close quarters while Calum Chambers headed over before the interval. Arsenal were rampant.
Wenger tweaked at half-time, partly because Ramsey had felt his hamstring, which was a shame given his barn-storming 45 minutes show but caution had to be the watchword with Newcastle in mind.
Gedion Zelalem came on to show his smooth moves, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles replaced Flamini in defensive midfield. Stefan O’Connor would also make his bow towards the end in place of the right-back, Mathieu Debuchy, who came through his first action in three months. It was a sign of Wenger’s comfort that he was happy to blood his next generation.
The tempo was slower in the second-half; Arsenal had done their damage, they had made their point. Galatasaray were better and they deserved their late consolation, which came from Wesley Sneijder’s vicious free-kick from the edge of the area. Per Mertesacker had made a saving challenge on Umut Bulut in the 66th minute while Wojciech Szczesny also beat away a Sneijder free-kick. The last word, though, went to Podolski, when he sauntered through to roll into the far corner.
