Arsenal vs Lazio
Highbury, Wednesday 27th September 2000
UEFA Champions League, first stage. match 3
Preview
- UK TV/Radio coverage
Live on ITV.
- Arsenal team news
Tony Adams is hoping to return. He'll be wanting to prove his
fitness to England manager Kevin Keegan before the upcoming
World Cup qualifiers, but most of all he'll be wanting to make
sure we don't give Lazio a 2 goal start like we did
Shakhtar last week!
Patrick Vieira is available - he now has one more domestic game
of his suspension.
Robert Pires is still out with his hamstring and will miss
the Man Utd game on Sunday too. Lauren is at the Olympics
still (Cameroon meet Spain in the final).
- Lazio team news
Lazio are weakened at both ends by the absence of "Europe's 2nd most
expensive striker" Hernan Crespo and Italy keeper Angelo
Peruzzi. Crespo has a calf problem which has kept him out for
a couple of weeks already. Peruzzi has a broken finger and will be replaced
by former Azzuri number 1 Luca Marchegiani.
Defender Giuseppi Favalli is also injured. But striker Lopez
is fit despite a foot injury sustained against Sparta last week and
will partner Simone Inzaghi. Lombardo scored twice against
Sampdoria but will probably find himself on the bench at Arsenal together
with Marcello Salas. Some sources reckon Salas will start alongside
Lopez. Seems a strange call, given that Inzaghi has 12 goals in 13 Champions League games!
Yugoslav defender Sinisa Mihajlovic, he of the devastating
free-kick, is fit to play despite breaking his jaw 3 weeks ago. He played
in the Italian Cup against Sampdoria on Sunday, wearing a special protective
mask. See LazioMania for
a picture.
Juan Veron has overcome a slight injury doubt.
- non-UK TV coverage
- USA: live on ESPN2. pre-game show starts at 2.30pm EST/ 11.30am PST.
(thanks to Lawrence for the info)
- Asia: Astro are covering the game live in Malaysia and neighbouring countries. 3am Malaysia time, 28/09. (thanks to Anand for the info)
- For details, and countries not listed above, see the
non-UK TV FAQ
- See also
UEFA Champions League
Arsenal vs Lazio (Italy) Wed Sep 27 2000
Result : Arsenal (1) 2 Lazio (0) 0
Scorers: Ljungberg 43,56
Arsenal: Seaman, Luzhny, Silvinho, Adams, Keown; Parlour,
Vieira, Ljungberg, Bergkamp; Kanu, Henry
Subs: Vivas (Bergkamp 79), Wiltord (Henry 84),
Cole, Dixon, Grimandi, Vernazza, Lukic
Booked: Henry, Keown, Parlour
Lazio: Marchegiani, Negro, Lopez, Mihajlovic, Nesta, Simeone,
Pancaro, Nedved, Stankovic, Inzaghi, Veron
Subs: Lombardo (Stankovic 45), Salas (Insaghi 57),
Ravanelli (Lombardo 73), Orlandini, Couto,
Colonnese, Sensini
Booked: Stankovic
Att: 34521
Ref: Jose Garcia-Aranda (Spain)
One of those special European nights at Highbury, as Arsenal at last
offered evidence that they are ready to move up and join the Euro elite.
The Italian side touted as favourites for the Champions League this
season were comprehensively beaten and outplayed by a team in which
every Gunner played his part. Arsenal had a slightly unfamiliar look
with Dennis Bergkamp playing on the right side of midfield, but it
turned out to be a bold winning move by Wenger as the Dutch master
created both goals for a resurgent Freddie Ljungberg.
There was a somewhat cagey start to the game, and it soon became
apparent that the visitors would be content with going home with a draw
as they showed little inclination to press forward. Arsenal on the other
hand gradually cranked up the pressure the longer the half went on. The
best early chance came when Bergkamp played a corner in along the
ground to pick out Adams about 15 yards out at the near post, but his
mistimed shot deflected rather fortuitously straight at Marchegiani.
However, it was almost half an hour before we saw the first decent
attempt at goal. Silvinho was left unmarked on the left at a free kick
20 yards outside the area and Vieira picked him out. The Brazilian's
dangerous cross was headed clear but Kanu flicked the loose ball towards
Keown whose acrobatic volley from just inside the area bounced into the
ground and Marchegiani made a good save falling to his right to clutch
the ball.
5 minutes later Kanu's persistence forced a defensive error which
resulted in the ball squirting forward for Henry to run clear onto. He
had only Marchegiani to beat, but the keeper rushed out tremendous speed
to make a superb save as Henry tried to stab the ball past him. Adams
also had a chance when Bergkamp's corner picked him out at the far post,
but he mistimed a volley and Marchegiani was able to parry the ball into
the air and clutch it at the second attempt.
Stankovic then did his best to get himself sent off. Having already been
booked for an ugly foul on Bergkamp, he hauled Henry down as the striker
tricked his way past him a few yards outside the area. Looked to me as
though the ref was about to book him, but then realised he was on a
yellow and let him off. Anyway, Arsenal nearly profitted from the free
kick, Bergkamp flighting the ball into the middle of the area where
Inzaghi got a head to it but could only flick it goalwards. Marchegiani
made another good save, getting down quickly to stop the ball just in
front of the line and then reacting well to hook it to safety as Keown
lunged in.
A couple of minutes later the first goal duly arrived. Henry hassled
Veron into losing possession midway inside his own half, Parlour played
it on to Kanu, and the Nigerian chipped a lovely ball to pick out
Bergkamp who drifted totally unmarked into space beyond the far post.
The Dutchman played a deft header square to pick out Ljungberg charging
into the middle, and he swept a left-foot shot joyfully high into the
net from about 10 yards.
Lazio then came back and looked a little more urgent in their forward
movements, and could have got an equaliser soon afterwards. Veron hit a
superb long pass from left to right which cleared Silvinho and reached
Stankovic whose cross found Inzaghi unmarked about 8 yards out in the
middle. For the second time in the evening however, he somehow headed
the ball in the wrong direction, and what might have been a goal turned
out to be a great clearance. That apart, they didn't really have another
chance worthy of note. Mihailovic put a couple of long range free kicks
wide, and Nedved slashed another long range half chance well wide too,
but that was about it.
The second half started in a similarly quiet fashion to the first, but
the first significant action 10 minutes in saw Arsenal increase their
lead. Luzhny intercepted a long pass on the half way line, volleying it
forward to Bergkamp's feet. The Dutch master turned into space and set
off on a diagonal run to the edge of the penalty area before slipping a
lovely little pass through the legs of a defender and into the path of
Ljungberg as he charged in from the left. He held off Lombardo's
challenge and bravely got his foot to the ball as Marchegiani came out
to meet him, and guided it just inside the far post.
Soon afterwards Veron slipped a ball into the area for Salas who turned
on it to seemingly make himself a good shooting opportunity, but Adams
anticipated well and lunged in with a brilliant tackle to take the ball
off his toe. A minute later Arsenal could have gone 3 up when Nesta and
Mihailovic left the ball to each other and allowed Kanu to nip in and
race clear. Marchegiani however made another great save, taking the ball
off Kanu's toes as he tried to go round him.
Later Ljungberg had a similar chance to complete his hattrick, put
through when first Kanu, then Henry cleverly dummied Luzhny's diagonal
ball in from the right, but he miscontrolled and couldn't get enough on
his attempt to poke the ball past the keeper. Adams also had another
chance from another far post corner when he again found space, but this
time his header from almost ankle height was cleared off the line.
At the other end Lazio were making more concerted efforts to break
through but failed to really manufacture a decent chance. The only time
Seaman was called into serious action was when Mihailovic hit another
thunderous free kick, on target this time, and Seaman did well to turn it
over the bar.
In the dying minutes Arsenal could have added gloss to the scoreline
when Kanu's backheel sent Vivas into space on the right, and he pulled
the ball back along the 18 yard line for Vieira. His shot was blocked
but the ball spun up and Wiltord retrieved it and tried a shot from an
acute angle which the keeper saved.
Overall a hightly gratifying night. Lazio may have been below par but it
was still heartening to see the defence so solid for a change, and their
much vaunted midfield was outplayed by our less feted one.
Seaman 7.0 Only had one difficult save to make. Interesting that
Keown went to guard one post for Mihailovic's late free
kick which forced him to hit it at the side of goal
Seaman was covering.
Luzhny 7.0 Had a pretty solid if unspectacular game, apart from a
couple of sloppy passes.
Silvinho 7.5 Another good game overall, fairly quiet in the first,
got forward a bit more in the 2nd.
Keown 8.0 Seems to have got the taste for goals, solid as ever.
Adams 8.5 Superb performance, hardly a foot wrong all night.
Vieira 8.0 Quietly controlled midfield.
Parlour 7.5 One or two poor passes, but worked hard as ever and I
think did a good job overall in the middle. Certainly
he and Vieira kept Veron & Simeone fairly quiet.
Ljungberg 8.0 I thought he started off quite poorly, but started
making those great runs into the area and gained
confidence from the first goal.
Bergkamp 8.5 At times looked a little peripheral stuck out on the
right wing, but often drifted infield and occasionally
switched with Kanu & Henry. Back to his creative best
though, and did a good midfield covering and tackling
job too.
Kanu 8.0 Had a pretty good game overall without doing much
spectacular.
Henry 7.0 Looks a little short of confidence, but didn't stop his
usual lung bursting running and chasing.
Vivas Brought in to shore up midfield after Wenger decided
to hold what he had, and did little wrong.
Wiltord Looked pretty sharp and eager in the short time he was
on.
Derek
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