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Mesut Ozil was guilty of the cardinal sin of football during Arsenal's match in Monaco - the half-time shirt swap. However the German is perplexed as to why it caused such a fuss.
The Gunner was seen trading shirts with opponent Geoffrey Kondogbia as the teams headed towards the tunnel at the Stade Louis II after the first 45 minutes.
The gesture, which has its roots in South American football and is common place in some parts of the world, was heavily criticised by pundits and fans on social media.
However, Ozil was baffled by the reaction.
"Geoffrey Kondogbia asked me for my shirt and I wanted to do him a favour," the World Cup winner told Sky Sports Germany.
"Maybe I should have given him the shirt in the tunnel. But seriously guys, is there nothing more important to discuss for a knock-out game than a shirt swap?"
Show all 24 1 /24Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings MONACO Danijel Subasic Looked suspect as Arsenal started to pepper his goal. Giroud made sure he got in the keeper’s face a number of times to distract him. Did enough in the end. 7/10
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Fabinho A quite poor display from the Brazilian. He struggled to contain Welbeck in the first half and Walcott in the second. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Wallace He was left to deal with Ozil and he did that job with relative ease. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Aymen Abdennour An assured performance up against Giroud. Strong and positioned himself well 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Layvin Kurzawa Similar to the first leg, he never stopped charging forward. He was quick enough to track back and defend too. Didn’t close down Ramsey for Arsenal’s second goal. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Nabil Dirar On the counter-attack he was very dangerous for Monaco but should have taken advantages of his chances better than he did. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Jeremy Toulalan Back from injury and Monaco’s captain organised his midfield well. He won the majority of his battles with Cazorla. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Geoffrey Kondogbia He was strong and intelligent but after he was booked early in the second half he lacked intensity. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Anthony Martial Subbed after 58 minutes and didn’t play anywhere near as good as he did in the first leg. 5
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Joao Moutinho The creative midfielder showed again why Tottenham should have taken a chance when they were interested. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Dimitar Berbatov Held the ball up well and tried to get a shot off whenever possible. Replaced by Silva on 68 minutes. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings From the bench: Yannick Ferreira Carrasco Showed a lot of energy when he came on. 7
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Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings ARSENAL: David Ospina Colombian had precious little to do as the vast majority of the match took place in Monaco’s half. His poor display in first leg ultimately proved costly. 6/10
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Hector Bellerin Spaniard has impressed in recent weeks and put in a steady performance. Accomplished in defence and got forward to provide crosses from flank. 8
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Per Mertesacker Has not enjoyed his best season but marshalled backline well - not that that kept him overly busy. Slow to push up as Driar was harshly given offside. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Laurent Koscielny Volleyed against bar when called offside and offered imposing threat at set-pieces. Made vital last ditch challenge on Ferreira-Carrasco. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Nacho Monreal Offers more defensively than Gibbs and did not lack for effort as Monaco reorganised. His cross ultimately led to Ramsey’s goal but he tired near the end. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Francis Coquelin Fortunate to escape booking after sliding in on Moutinho. Broke up attacks with ease to initiate Arsenal attacks. Sacrificed for Ramsey. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Santi Cazorla Volleyed effort blocked by Wallace but unable to greatly influence from deeper role. Rarely ceded possession and but to no overall result. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Alexis Sanchez Has shown signs of returning to form and shone in touches. Harshly booked for going to ground in area. Spent a lot of time on the ground. 6
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Mesut Ozil Did not impress with final ball and swapped shirts at half-time. Freshly attired, forced Subasic to tip free-kick over bar. Shot wide when well placed. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Danny Welbeck Struggled with touch early on but fine ball for opener. Almost added an instant second and forraged to good effect. Replaced by Walcott. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings Olivier Giroud Strong challenge on Abdennour. Headed over bar and struggled with decision making before thrashing rebound for first. Missed late chances. 7
Monaco 0 Arsenal 2 player ratings From the bench: Aaron Ramsey Came on for Coquelin halfway through second half as Arsenal chased their second - something the Welshman duly provided within 15 minutes. 7
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Ozil was excellent in the Round of 16 second-leg tie, contributing to a 2-0 Arsenal victory on the night. That scoreline levelled the tie but the Gunners exited the Champions League on away goals.
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