Drogba, Galatasaray defeat Arsenal

Published Aug. 4, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Didier Drogba came back to haunt Arsenal in its own stadium on Sunday, scoring two late goals in a 2-1 victory that won Galatasaray the Emirates Cup.

One of Arsenal's bogeymen during his years at Chelsea, Drogba showed he hadn't lost the knack of scoring against the north London team. He came off the bench in the second half and turned a losing match around.

He sealed victory in the 88th minute when he collected a pass into the box from Wesley Sneijder, dribbled past Per Mertesacker and struck the ball home. He brought Galatasaray level only nine minutes earlier when he converted a penalty after being pushed down by Bacary Sagna.

Arsenal dominated play in the first half and scored in the 39th minute when Theo Walcott's cross cut through the defense and surprised goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. But the hosts couldn't convert several chances, including a close-range shot that Walcott tapped wide.

Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim's decision to field Drogba and Sneijder in the second half helped his team push forward with more confidence and hold possession for longer.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger suggested his team's decline toward the end of the match was due more to the physical condition of his players rather than a mental lapse.

''It's been a long time since I've seen two such different halves. We could not keep it going and we were punished for it,'' he said.

Wenger praised Drogba's physical and intelligent play but said he had fallen too easily to win the penalty.

''The penalty was very, very, very, very soft,'' he said. ''It was a classic Drogba.''

Galatasaray finished the competition with nine points, ahead of FC Porto with six and Arsenal and Napoli with four.

Earlier in the day, Porto beat Napoli 3-1.