Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has leapt to the defence of Mesut Ozil after the playmaker came in for criticism for his performance in the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The £42m record signing missed a first-half penalty and came under fire for his general display, but his teammate said that it was unfair to single Ozil out.

Podolski wrote on his Facebook page: "Everybody is disappointed because of yesterday's result. However, that's football.

"It's not fair to diss Mesut. Critic is part of sports and this is good but polemic is not. Picking one player out doesn't help the collective and the whole club neither!

"He's an outstanding player who will make all of us happy in future. A missed penalty won't change that. This happens to me and to every footballer. Friends stand together. So lets go! Poldi."

Meanwhile, Ozil himself took to his own account to apologise for the defeat.

Written by
Paul Gorst