Walcott confident Arsenal will bounce back from Dinamo defeat

Theo Walcott is confident Arsenal will bounce back from their surprising 2-1 Champions League defeat at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb and reach the knockout stages.

An Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain own goal gifted Dinamo the lead in the opening 45 minutes before Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was sent off. Junior Fernandes then doubled the Croatian champions' lead around the hour mark, with Walcott's 79th-minute strike proving to be nothing more than a consolation goal.

"We can't blow one result and say it's the end of the season. We've still got a long Champions League run. We've had setbacks before and we've managed to bounce back from them," the attacker told the official Arsenal website.

"We've been in this tournament for 18 years now so we've had a lot of experience and we know how to deal with setbacks. We should be able to come back stronger.

"The manager will make sure that it's put to bed in the changing room and that it will stay there. I'm sure we'll bounce back strongly."

Walcott's goal against Dinamo was his second in his last two appearances and he added: "As a forward you just want to score goals and create chances. As long as I can do that, that's the main thing.

"It's all about the team winning. If you score a load of goals and the team doesn't win, it doesn't mean anything at all. I'm a team player, I want this team to do well and I believe that this team can do well."