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A football education is not complete without a visit to the magnificent Westfalenstadion in the heartland of industrial Germany. Anyone who graduates this test does so with a smile on their face. Borussia Dortmund has that effect on people. The club is to football lovers, what Christmas is to children; leaving you with a warm feeling, full of stories about something that is done right. It happened to me at the World Cup with my wife in 2006 and this past week English journalists, in town for Arsenals visit to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, typed at great lengths about their love for the club. Dortmund is everyones second team wrote John Cross of the Daily Mirror who was clearly enamoured by the surroundings. He wasnt alone. Arsenal, though, were not in town for a sightseeing trip. The great aspect of sport remains its unpredictability. Arsenals performance in Dortmund on Wednesday flipped the script and made them the main characters in a fascinating subplot, known as Group F of this seasons Champions League campaign. No English club had ever won in Dortmund before Aaron Ramsey headed in Arsenals winning goal in front of their travelling fans, who up until then had played the part of non-speaking extras inside a theatre dominated by a chorus of passionate, singing bees. It gave the Gunners a sensational 1-0 victory, their 14th win in their last 15 away games in all competitions dating back to their last win in Germany, when they defeated the soon-to-be European Champions Bayern Munich in March. Yes, in 2013, a club still searching for respect in its homeland has beaten both teams who made the Champions League final, at home. Their last win in Germany ended their Champions League journey for another year; its latest win opened up a whole host of possibilities. Not only did it place Arsene Wengers men in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages for the 14th year in a row it also means they have a great shot at winning the group, something they have accomplished just twice in the last five years. No team has felt the importance of this more than Arsenal in recent years. "Perhaps, we have been very unlucky with our opponents," said Wenger earlier this season on their failures in Europes top competition. It is true the last 16 has often presented them with a tough opponent, including eventual winners Barcelona in 2011 and Bayern Munich last season, but it is equally true that Arsenal have blown crucial opportunities to win their group and avoid such a difficult draw. For those in England struggling to believe in Arsenal, Wednesdays victory showed glimpses of another side to the Gunners, a much more mature display to their game, full of belief in themselves even when they were against the ropes. Dortmund, who had scored in 59 of their last 60 home games heading in, dominated much of the games best chances but rarely threatened the centre-back core of Laurent Koscielny, again excellent in the Champions League, and Per Mertesacker. Aside from a torrid fifteen minute spell at the start of the second half, Wengers men, crucially, seemed in control of their emotions, if not the game. They had learned to keep things tight and remain content with the score level, something they struggled with at home to Dortmund last month. Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky, creators so used to coming inside to work and combine with Olivier Giroud, stayed wide and tracked their opponents. Their football intelligence shone. Dortmund wanted to stretch the game and Arsenal played them at their own game even if some of their key men struggled at times. Mesut Ozil and Giroud couldnt combine as they like to while Mikel Arteta, desperate for a partner to help him be the guardian of the gates, at times seemed to struggle with the flow of the game but such scenarios, against a team who had won all eight of their home matches this season, will surely have been anticipated. Few teams in the world transition as well as Dortmund, who explode in numbers the moment they turn over the ball, and on another night Arteta, as the principal holder in midfield, could have been exposed but Arsenal withstood the pressure and still found a moment to shine themselves. Rosicky, a poster child for a former Dortmund team of debt and disarray, played a superb one-two with Ramsey before unleashing Ozil on the right. The German, whose presence has done so much to install a new belief in Arsenal, crossed a ball in dangerously that wasnt dealt with by Dortmunds defence, allowing Ramsey to continue a dream season by heading home. Suddenly Arsenal found themselves, much like many before them, smiling inside the iconic Westfalenstadion. On Wednesday night they board a plane back to a land where many still wait for their match at Manchester United on Sunday to see if they are for real. They neednt bother. The facts are clear. Win, lose or draw on Sunday, Arsenal are still a far superior side to the one that played for the majority of last season and are finally a team that is looking like one that is coached properly. Whether or not that makes them title contenders remains unclear and only the future will declare the verdict. What was declared on Wednesday was people need to find a middle ground when analyzing this club. How they match up against Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City over 38 games is irrelevant in November. Right now, Arsenal are playing a level of football their high-paying fans expect and those searching to see what they will do come May are losing sight of special performances and it doesnt get much better than a win at the Westfalenstadion. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . Villa has already confirmed his short-term deal and the Daily Mirror reported early Tuesday that Lampard will join him as both build up match fitness ahead of moves to the new Major League Soccer franchise New York City. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. His actions are much louder on the Fenway Park mound. De La Rosa had another strong home start, going seven solid innings to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night. Discount Shoes Black Friday . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. China Shoes Black Friday . - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to meet with Richie Incognito to determine if one of the central figures in the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal can help their struggling offensive line.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Raptors continued to roll with Tuesdays 103-93 victory at Washington thanks to Kyle Lowrys 24 points and 10 assists. "I just was getting more looks, trying to attack a little more," said Lowry. "That first game out of the break is always tough and I didnt want to let that be an excuse for us to lose the game." DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Greivis Vasquez scored 14 points apiece, and both Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas netted 10. The Raptors made 42- of-74 shots (56.8 percent) and have won three straight and nine of the last 13 contests. Toronto now leads the Atlantic Division by four games ahead of Brooklyn and will open a three-game homestand Wednesday versus Chicago, Cleveland and Orlando. The Raptors have won three in a row at home and are 14-10 at Air Canada Centre. Since Jan. 1, the Dinos are 9-2 as the host. However, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau deserves a lot of credit for keeping his team competitive through the course of the season. Thibodeau hopes that success carries over in the post All-Star break schedule, starting with Wednesdays road matchup in Toronto. The Bulls and Raptors are jockeying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, as Chicago sits fourth in the standings -- 1 1/2 games behind Toronto. Chicago, which has dealt with a litany of injuries, including the loss of guard Derrick Rose, headed to the break with three straight wins and a 15-7 record since Jan. 2. In last Thursdays 92-76 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets, a 10-point advantage (29-19) after the firsst quarter set the tone and the Bulls later scored a 23-15 edge in the final stanza.dddddddddddd Taj Gibson, who was filling in for Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup, led the way with 16 points off the bench. Boozer had missed three straight games with a calf injury and returned to post 15 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler and All-Star Joakim Noah all scored 14 points with Noah grabbing 13 rebounds. "We have to look at our team in totality. For us to achieve, we need Carlos to play well. With our depth up front, we have three starters and they all have to sacrifice," Tom Thibodeau. Noah has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 23 of his last 24 games, and tallied eight points, five boards and five assists in the All-Star Game. "I had a great time. Im a little tired, but theres time to rest," Noah said of All-Star weekend. "The court is always the best part. It always feels good to win no matter what situation. I like competing. It was fun." The Bulls are last in the NBA offensively with 92.3 ppg, but are second in opponents scoring at 92.3 ppg. Opposing teams are shooting just 43.4 percent against the Bulls, who are 12-15 on the road and recently went 3-3 on a recent trip. Meanwhile, East teams have a 5-10 record north of the border this season. The Raptors have won twice in three meetings with Chicago this season, but dropped a 96-80 decision at home back on Nov. 15. The Bulls have won nine of the past 14 overall matchups in this series and are 13-6 in the previous 19 trips to Air Canada Centre. ' ' '