It was the game that had the football purists drooling: Arsenal vs Barcelona, squaring off in the Champion's League quarter final. Wenger Vs Guardiola. Fabregas vs Xavi. Messi vs...Silvestre. Fortunately we were spared that last matchup (but more on that later). The general consensus was that the first leg would be a tight affair, a score draw maybe with both sides weaving their pretty patterns, while aesthetes stood up and saluted the screen from time to time. Football would be the winner, to quote a particularly hackneyed phrase. Well they weren't far off with that prediction. The game did end in a draw, and there was some spectacular football played, the bulk of it, unfortunately, coming from the Catalans.
For the first twenty five minutes Barcelona set about justifying their reputation of 'World's best team' with aplomb. Xavi was controlling the game from midfield, Messi's darting runs pulled the Arsenal defence every which way and Dani Alves' bursts down the right were going largely unchecked. Somehow though, the Gunners clung on to their clean sheet, thanks mostly to the improbable hero of the hour, Manuel Almunia. He saved well from Messi, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The much-maligned keeper has struggled with form this season, particularly in terms of claiming crosses and dominating his area, but his shot stopping on Wednesday night was spectacular.
Arsenal started the evening with Fabregas in the midfield, alongside Song and Diaby, and Gallas returned from his injury to assist Vermaelen in the middle. Clichy and Sagna completed the back four, and Arhsavin and Nasri flanked Bendtner up front. Everyone knew that Barca would test the Gunner's defence, but the hope had been that the Arsenal attack would assist in relieving pressure by exerting it down the other end of the pitch. Sadly this was not the case. Nasri's shot which went just wide was the home side's first attempt, after 22 minutes. Yikes. Barcelona's policy of pressing the player on the ball incessantly was simply too much for the Arsenal players to bear, and it wasn't long before the ball was being hit long for Bendtner. It didn't help matters that Gallas and Arshavin both went off injured (Gallas looks set to miss the rest of the season), with Denilson and Eboue coming on to replace them.
The score at the half was 0-0, unlikely as it seemed, but it didn't take long after the restart for things to change. Twenty five seconds in fact. Gerard Pique lofted the ball forward, and Ibrahimovic chipped an indecisive Almunia to open the scoring. Despite worries that the flood gates had opened, it took until the hour mark for Barca to extend their lead, in a strikingly similar fashion. Ibrahimovic was played in over the top by Xavi, and he slammed a finish into the roof of the net. Their game plan was clear now: they'd been toying with Arsenal, allowing a glimmer of hope to build through their profligate finishing, which they were now going to extinguish in ruthless fashion.
Except they didn't. The visitors took their foot off the pedal, and Arsenal were finally allowed to ask some questions of the Barcelona defense. On 65 minutes Theo Walcott came on for Samir Nasri, and immediately changed the game. After just three minutes he was released by Bendtner and his powerful shot slipped under Victor Valdes to halve the defecit.
Thierry Henry's inclusion at the expense of Ibrahimovic was a temporary diversion, but Arsenal were continuing to press. Almunia saved well from Messi at the other end, but just over five minutes from the end Carles Puyol tangled with Fabregas in the area, and having conceded a penalty the defender was subsequently sent off. Fabregas clearly had a point to prove, taking the penalty himself and thumping it as hard as he could, having sent Valdes the wrong way. In retrospect he might have been better off placing it, as during the run back to the centre circle he pulled up, having clearly exacerbated the injury he'd picked up against Birmingham the previous weekend. The plucky little Spaniard refused to come off however, with Arsenal having already made all three substitutions, and proceeded to hobble around the pitch for the remainder of the match.
So Arsenal snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat, despite being completely outplayed. There are positives to take from this game: the scoreline wasn't as embarrasing as it should have been, there is a remote chance we can progress to the semi-finals and in all likelihood, Arsenal will never be outplayed like that again at home. Fabregas and Gallas look set to miss the rest of the season however, and possibly the World Cup, and the Gunners will almost definitely go out in the second leg. Still, how great did it feel when that equaliser went in? A reminder of what it means to be an Arsenal fan.
In America till the 21st, so back for the City game, rest assured.
