Predictable finish to final group stage round

Arsenal,Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk completed a heavyweight line-up for the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday,shrugging off closing-night nerves even as the final round of matches was marred by crowd trouble in Slovakia.

Arsenal flirted with trouble at 1-1 at home to Partizan Belgrade but a group phase that featured few surprises ended predictably as Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri struck to secure a 3-1 win that saw them squeeze through in second spot in Group H. Shakhtar kept Braga at bay before striking twice in the second half themselves for a 2-0 home win that clinched first place ahead of Arsenal,while Roma held on for a drab 1-1 draw at CFR Cluj to qualify behind Bayern Munich in Group F.

The draw for the last 16,to be held on December 17,will feature the might of European club football,which may be a worry for Arsenal given that their second-place finish means they could face Barcelona or Real Madrid among the group winners. Absent from the draw will be Zilina and Spartak Moscow,whose Group F game in Slovakia was held up for 20 minutes when fans launched a firecracker on to the pitch from an end populated by Spartak fans.