Arsenal 2 B Dortmund 1

ARSENAL have only got one Song and he has struck a real chord with Gunners fans. Skipper Robin van Persie took the plaudits again for his winning double, which boosted his goal tally to 17 in an astonishing season. But it was the unsung Song who was instrumental in Arsene Wenger's men becoming the first English side to qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League. The Cameroon midfielder covered every blade of grass and the manner in which he battled his way past four opponents to set up Van Persie's opening goal typified his all-action performance. Van Persie also swept in Thomas Vermaelen's flick from Mikel Arteta's corner for No 2. And even though Shinji Kagawa replied for Dortmund, it turned out to be the last kick of the game and Arsenal could celebrate. The Gunners may not win any trophies these days but one thing you can always count on is them reaching the Champions League knockout stage, which they did for the 12th successive season. Now they can rest easy with one game still to go while the likes of Manchester City, United and Chelsea are struggling to join them in the latter stages. You would have got long odds on that happening after the way Arsenal started the season. Wenger put out his strongest side and stuck with the same line-up that won 2-1 at Norwich in the Premier League last weekend. Dortmund really had to win to keep their Champions League fire burning, having taken only four points from their first four games including a draw against the Gunners in Germany. But they were on a high having beaten Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich before flying to London. Their main threat was tipped to be Mario Gotze, 19, the Germany international who Arsenal have watched extensively this season. This was a chance for the home fans to see what all the fuss was about but, unfortunately, Gotze picked up an injury early on and limped off before half-time. Arsenal were on the back foot early on and Kagawa brought a comfortable save out of Wojciech Szczesny. In reply, Van Persie had a half-chance but was forced to stretch for a header and it looped into the hands of Roman Weidenfeller. Watching in the seats behind the dugout was Arsenal legend Thierry Henry alongside tennis ace Roger Federer, who seemed more interested in munching a large pie than following the action. But the Gunners got Fed's attention when Theo Walcott picked up Aaron Ramsey's pass and ran clear of the visitors' defence. As Walcott shot, however, Weidenfeller was almost on top of him and slid out to clear. Dortmund lost Sven Bender on 25 minutes as Vermaelen caught him in the face accidentally. With Gotze going off soon after, they were not having much luck. Walcott then had an effort ruled out for offside before he put in a teasing low cross � but a sprawling Weidenfeller got a hand to it before Van Persie could pounce. There was panic on the restart as Gunners' Per Mertesacker had to hack clear a dangerous cross. But the Emirates was on its feet on 50 minutes when Song, with no options on, bustled his way forward before crossing for the unmarked Van Persie to head down and in. Striker partner Gervinho should have wrapped it up on the hour as quick thinking by Wales skipper Ramsey put him through. But, instead of shooting, the Ivorian chose to go round the keeper and was robbed by Mats Hummels. Van Persie, though, doubled the lead as he netted from close range with four minutes left before Kagawa grabbed a consolation. There is just no stopping the flying Dutchman. DREAM TEAM STAR MAN � ALEX SONG (Arsenal) ARSENAL: Szczesny 6, Koscielny 6, Mertesacker 6, Vermaelen 7, Santos 6, Song 8, Ramsey 7, Arteta 6, Walcott 7, Van Persie 8, Gervinho 6. Subs: Benayoun (Gervinho 74) 6, Djourou (Koscielny 83) 5, Diaby (Walcott 85) 5. Not used: Fabianski, Arshavin, Frimpong, Chamakh. Booked: Walcott, Ramsey, Benayoun. BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Weidenfeller 7, Hummels 6, Santana 6, Schmelzer 6, Kehl 6 (Barrios 63, 5), Bender 5 (Leitner 24, 6), Kagawa 7, Lewandowski 6, Gotze 5 (Perisic 28, 6), Grosskreutz 6, Piszczek 6. Not used: Langerak, Owomoyela, Blaszczykowski, Gundogan. Booked: Schmelzer. REF: F De Bleeckere (Belgium) 7