Highbury, Wednesday 24th October 2001
UEFA Champions League, stage 1 match 5
scorers: Pires Novo
Bergkamp
Henry
Arsenal:
Wright
Lauren Keown Campbell van Bronckhorst
Pires Vieira Grimandi (Parlour) Ljungberg (Kanu)
Henry Bergkamp (Wiltord)
Arsenal started with Grimandi in midfield as predicted,
one can't help wondering what Ray Parlour thinks of that.
Gio was at left back, Upson missing out altogether. And
Bergkamp (at last) started instead of Wiltord. Although
he didn't have his best game ever, he did give us an
extra dimension. Mallorca started with Leo Franco in goal,
who had been said to be injured.
On 4 minutes Dennis ran onto a chip into the box. He
got to it before the keeper but lost track a little as it
dropped over his shoulder. He got a touch on it but could
only join keeper and defender in chasing it out for a goal
kick.
Arsenal had the upper hand in the first half, but
attacks kept breaking down around the edge of the box.
A Henry cross from the right came out to Ljungberg on
9 minutes, he hit the volley over the bar but it was a
tricky chance in front of a crowded box.
A couple of times, Leo Franco managed to get to corners
just before they reached Keown's head at the far post.
On the quert-hour Bergkamp had a blast from 30 yards
which was always
wide and rising, and 5 minutes later Vieira hit a low
rocket from the
same place saved at the near post.
A minute later Henry went on a fantastic run after a sharp
turn. He dummied to shoot, creating a bit of space, but
then hit his shot like a pass-back.
Good play from Freddie set Henry up with a chance which
just missed the post. Then just after the half hour
the Swede's excellent
cross-field pass found Pires on the left wing,
he squared it to Henry just inside the box, but
Thierry had 3 defenders on him. He nutmegged the ball forward
but there was no path through to follow it.
Mallorca gave us our first scare just after that. We were
attacking when they got it back and hoofed it forward for Luque.
He looked to have Campbell beaten for pace but Sol showed
great determination and strength to chase back and get a
crucial touch in. The resulting corner flashed scarily across
the face of goal, and then back again.
Mallorca clearly decided that Wright was straying out of
his goal, and first Campano and then Luque tried audacious
shots from the halfway line. The second was on target,
but Wright was alert to it.
Ljungberg took the ball down the right and squared
nicely for Henry coming in at the near post. But from
8 yards out he got a bit too much of a touch and
turned it past that post instead of inside it. Leo Franco
had that side of goal covered anyway.
Bergkamp went down under challenge from Nadal and was
outraged at the ref's failure to award a penalty. It looked
a good shout to me but I wasn't well place to see it
properly.
Just before the half Soler and Nadal got caught playing
keep-ball, passing it square to each other 10 yards
inside their half. Bergkamp robbed Soler and brought the ball
with 2 defenders between him and goal. He took it wide
to the right to get past the first and spotted the keeper
coming out. Everyone was sure his chip was going in but
it narrowly missed the far post.
Arsenal changed things a little for the second half,
playing with more width and more people getting up to
support Henry. Gio van Bronckhorst came into the game
more, and to great effect.
But the half started with a worrying slip from Sol,
it looked like the Mallorca striker was clear but
Vieira got back to make a great tackle. Vieira had
one of his "immense" games tonight. With Grimandi
as his partner Paddy had to do most of the attacking
from central midfield, He seemed to do more than his
fair share of defending too.
In Sol's defence, a lot of players were slipping on
the slightly wet surface tonight, and moments later he
made up for it was an equally good tackle of his own.
Vieira headed a corner over under pressure. Then Real
broke upfield with Paunovic on our right. He played a
clever ball across the box for Campano who hadn't been
picked up by anyone, but with acres of space and
most of the goal to aim at, he dragged his shot wide
of the far post.
15 minutes in and Vieira played Henry in down the
right hand side. He squared for Bergkamp and the
ball came back off him and his marker for Pires
on the edge of the box. Bob had a free shot but,
like Campano, dragged it wide.
Up the other end Sol made a good block to stop a
goalbound Novo shot, and then with half and hour to go
Pires made up for his miss by burying a much
harder chance. Vieira and Henry worked the ball wide
right for Ljungberg, and he put an excellent high cross
over. It was just too high for Henry to reach
with his head, but dropped onto Pires's boot on the
far side and he opened his body to side-foot low inside
the near post.
Within a couple of minutes we had the 2 goal lead we wanted.
Ljungberg played the ball down the left wing for Gio, who
raced to take it forward before hooking a cross over for
Dennis to jump and head in from 8 yards.
Henry did some lovely stuff to beat a defender on the goal-line.
He brought the ball infield till he was level with the post
but his low shot went outside that post.
On 62 minutes Wiltord came on for Bergkamp. And shortly after
we conceded a soft goal to start the nerves jangling again.
Nobody picked up Novo's run forward (past Keown, Vieira, and Campbell)
except Campano. His ball
forward was picked up by Novo on the right hand edge of the box.
Wright came out to meet him but the Spaniard rounded him and
finished well from a narrow angle. Without wishing to be
too critical, Wright was a bit hesitant coming out, and then
went to ground rather earlier than I'd have expected Seaman
to. He should also not have been put in that position.
Arsenal responded by bringing Kanu on for Freddie. There
was an air of desperation in the ground as if we needed the
2 goal cushion to go through at all, which was a bit
worrying as at 2-1 our fate was in our own hands whereas
an equaliser for Real would have put them in the driving seat going
into the last games.
Soon after Kanu came on Wright failed to hold a long-range
shot and the ball bounced forward, grazing Keown's chest
just ahead of him. Luque was just the other side of Martin and
stretched to hook the ball back towards goal, but couldn't
get any power on it and Wright had recovered in time to drop
on the ball.
5 minutes to go and Parlour came on for Grimandi. Kanu hit a 25 yarder
which bothered the corner flag more than the goal, and then with 2
minutes of normal time the Nigerian missed a great chance. Coming
into the box with the ball he seemed to take an age to get a shot
in. Maybe it was stuck under those huge feet. When the shot
did come it was soft and rolled towards the far post. It was on
its way in but Campano got back to clear. Henry's kicking of the hoardings
looked like frustration - he'd made the wrong choice . If he'd
slid in to meet the ball on the goal line he'd surely have forced it in.
As normal time ran out, Pires got the ball in the net from a good
Wiltord cross. But he was rightly given offside. and then Parlour
blasted goalwards from 20 yards forcing a good save.
With injury time running out, and the prospect of needing a point away to
Schalke next week looming large, Arsenal were awarded a free kick
just outside the box. Bronco spotted Henry in space on the halfway line
and took it quickly (Mallorca may point out that the ball was still
moving when he played it). It was perfectly weighted for Henry to
take in his stride and when Leo Franco came out our record European
goalscorer placed his shot inside the far right hand post. Lovely.
Arsenal are through to the second stage, thanks also to Panathinaikos's
2-0 win at hoem to Schalke next week. Arsenal and Panathinaikos have
nothing to play for next week, but their opponents are both chasing
the UEFA Cup spot for 3rd.
report by Rupe.
Preview
- Group situation
Arsenal still have plenty of work to do, but it is
in our hands. A 2 goal win over Real Mallorca
would mean they couldn't finish above us. Schalke
could still catch us by beating Panathinaikos
(today) and us (in the last game). It's
complicated and very dependent on today's
games.
What's clear though is that we
can't afford to lose to Real, as both they and
Panathinaikos would be uncatchable. And if
Schalke were also to beat the Greeks, we
could even lose out on third!
A draw would be less bad, but we'd go into the last
game needing the other result to go our way.
See Europe page
for table, fixtures, results, and explanation of
how the group placings are determined.
- Arsenal team news
Adams and Dixon are out.
Ashley Cole could return from his slight hamstring injury.
Sol Campbell could return too after being "rested" against
Blackburn, but at whose expense?
One who seems bound to return is Ljungberg, who has been
rested before European games before this season. Unless
Gio is needed at left back, Parlour seems likely to miss out.
update Tuesday
It looks like Ashley Cole won't make it. Sol Campbell
returns, so Wenger has to choose between switching Upson
or van Bronckhorst to left-back. If it's Gio, there's
another decision: whether to play Keown or Upson
alongside Sol.
Seaman and Jeffers are still unavailable. Wiltord or
Bergkamp will presumably partner Henry up front.
update Wednesday
Ther are interesting runours that Grimandi will
start in midfield (with Gio at left back).
- Real_Mallorca team news
Samuel Eto'o is suspended following his red card in
the home loss to Schalke last week.
Mallorca have sacked their manager since that
debacle, and have appointed Croatian Sergio Kresic.
Update Tuesday
Mallorca will be without their first and second choice
keepers. Carlos Roa is out for 2 months with torn knee
ligaments sustained in training on Monday,
and Leo Franco has muscle problems which will keep him out for a
fortnight.
Youngster Miguel Garro starts, as he did in their league game
at the weekend: a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Defender Fernando Nino is said to be missing too, not sure
why.
- UK TV/Radio coverage
We're on ITV when they could be showing a team from the north-west.
This must be some kind of mistake.
- See also
Other reports
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