Disastrous goalkeeping epitomizes Olympiacos' stunning win at Arsenal

It was an evening for firsts at the Emirates Stadium in north London.

A 3-2 win marked Olympiacos' first win in England in 12 tries, the first time the defending Greek champion has scored three times away against an English opponent, and, more than anything, it was a dreary night that demanded a first-choice 'keeper.

It also looks like Arsenal may fail to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in 15 tries.

It's hard to watch Olympiacos' visit to Arsenal Tuesday and not be consumed by the befuddlement associated with a decision made by the Gunners' second-choice shot-stopper, David Ospina.

Konstantinos Fortounis fired a corner in Ospina's direction in the 40th minute, which the Colombian international caught as he inexplicably stepped backwards into his own net.

Goal-line technology or not, the ball crossed the line as Arsenal supporters the world over launched anything within reach at their televisions, wondering again why Arsene Wenger opted for the undersized 'keeper, especially in light of his less-than-impressive performance during the side's 2-1 loss away at Dinamo Zagreb.

Full credit to Olympiacos, but Ospina did everything he could to gift the Greek champions the full three points.

Theo Walcott knotted the scoreline at 1-1 minutes after Felipe Pardo's 33rd-minute opener took a massive deflection off the heel of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and, suddenly, the Gunners again had hope.

That lasted no longer than seven minutes, until Ospina's epic gaff again gave the visitors the lead.

A seemingly endless barrage of attempts on the Olympiacos goal was as fluid and rife with flair as it was utterly pointless, with the only attack that had even the slightest tinge of direction being Alexis Sanchez's equalizer 20 minutes after the interval.

Olympiacos again took the lead a minute after Sanchez's equaliser, and despite a final 25 minutes littered with Arsenal attacks, Wenger's men surrendered, walking down the tunnel with their collective tails firmly between their legs.

Arsenal now sit dead last in Group F with a seemingly insurmountable challenge of two fixtures with Bayern Munich on the horizon.

For all of the deserved praise for his efforts during a lengthy tenure at Arsenal, Wenger's decision to start Ospina over Petr Cech is the kind of black mark that those with short memories will recall when the Frenchman's career is remembered.