Wednesday 14 September 2016 07:57, UK
Arsene Wenger felt vindicated by his surprise selection of David Ospina against Paris Saint-Germain and declared the goalkeeper, who pulled off a series of saves, as "world class".
The Colombian was a shock starter ahead of Petr Cech in the Gunners' Champions League group opener in Paris but despite being beaten after just 42 seconds by Edinson Cavani's header, he made a series of key stops during Tuesday's 1-1 draw.
Ospina came in for heavy criticism last season when he was drafted in for opening Champions League defeats against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos.
But Wenger - whose side secured a late point at the Parc des Princes through Alexis Sanchez - shrugged off scrutiny over his selection policy and suggested Ospina could keep his Champion League place.
"I have two world-class goalkeepers," Wenger told reporters after the game.
"I can give them both games. If they do not play, you can't keep two world-class goalkeepers."
"We have a rule that the keepers know (when they will play)," he added. "It's important to have clear rules like that. They know what the rules are for the season. If they change, I'll tell them."
Asked if Ospina would only feature in Europe, Wenger replied: "I'll not answer that question. It's down to performances.
"On what he delivered tonight, he has the right to stay in the team for the next Champions League game."
PSG might have extended their lead before the break but Wenger praised a spirited second-half performance.
"To our credit, we came out strong in the second half," he said.
"We also benefited from the fact PSG were not as good in the second half. In the first half, we were drowning.
"When you start so badly against a team with such qualities, if you have no experience you can be caught out. But we did not panic, we showed resilience and it's linked to experience."
