Theo Walcott: 'Arsenal will bounce back'

Theo Walcott has played down the significance of Arsenal losing their Champions League opener following a 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night.

The Gunners got their Group F campaign underway on a sour note as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's own goal and Junior Fernandes's header, either side of Olivier Giroud's red card, proved enough for the hosts.

However, Walcott - who reduced the arrears on 79 minutes - says that the North Londoners need not give up, claiming that Arsenal's vast experience in the competition counts for something.

"We can't blow one result and say it's the end of the season. We've still got a long Champions League run," he told the club's official website.

"We've had setbacks before and we've managed to bounce back from them.

"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."

Arsene Wenger's side sit third in the group after leaders Bayern Munich thumped Olympiacos 3-0 in Athens.