Arsenal (0) 2 - 1 (0)Wembley. Wednesday 30th September 1998UEFA Champions LeaguePreview
Arsenal (0) 2 - 1 (0)Wembley. Wednesday 30th September 1998UEFA Champions LeagueSecond half goals from Adams and Keown clinched this win, both coming from Emmanuel Petit corners.The keeper came and flapped a bit at the first, allowing Vieira to pass the ball across the penalty area where Adams met it with a first-time left foot shot into the roof of the net. The second was more traditional, Keown glancing the corner home direct from the corner. Panathinaikos pulled one back near the end, just to make it exciting. Again it was a set-piece, ending with the little Brasilian Mauro somehow getting his head to the ball ahead of our mountainous centre backs. I just got in at 2.30 in the morning, so further reflections are going to have to wait till tomorrow... Our next opponents, at Wembley in 3 weeks time, are group favourites Dynamo Kiev. We'll be without Vieira who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament. Dynamo only managed a draw at home with Lens and find themselves at the bottom of the table. So we're looking healthy at the top.
Result : Arsenal (0) 2 Panathinaikos (0) 1
Scorers: Adams 64, Keown 72 Mauro 88
Arsenal: Manninger, Vivas, Adams, Keown, Winterburn; Petit, Vieira,
Garde, Overmars; Bergkamp, Anelka
Subs: Vivas (Garde 79), Bould, Grimandi, Hughes, Mendez,
Wreh, Manninger
Booked: Petit, Vieira
Panathinaikos: Wandzik, Apostolakis, Milojevic, Asanovic, Goumas,
Lagonikakis, Mykland, Strandli, Kostantinidis,
Liberopoulos, Kiassos
Subs: Kola (Kiassos 70), Mauro (Liberopoulos 83),
Sypniewski (Strandli 83), Nikopolidis, Nikolidis,
Kolitsidakis, Vokolos
Booked: Milojevic, Mykland, Goumas
Att: 73455
Ref: A Nieto-Lopez (Spain)
A much needed victory in Arsenal's first home tie at Wembley in the
Champions League last night, and one which the Gunners owed to their
central defensive twin towers for scoring the goals which secured the
win, after earlier chances had gone begging.
I was one of those grateful for the 25 minute delay to kickoff caused by traffic congestion in NW London and problems on the Tube, as I would otherwise have missed the opening 15 minutes in which Arsenal carved out 3 good opportunities to open the scoring. In the 2nd minute Anelka turned brilliantly past Goumas on the left just outside the area, only to be brought down as he threatened to get away. Bergkamp curled the free kick to the far post where Adams ghosted in completely unmarked. He ended up heading the ball only a couple of feet off the ground, but from just beyond the post and about 3 yards out his header flashed back across the keeper and just past the opposite post. A few minutes later Anelka again did well, outpacing a defender to Vieira's pass down the right. He cut into the area and from an acute angle tried to clip a shot past the keeper and inside the near post, but Wandzik made a brilliant reaction save, diverting the ball for a corner. 15 minutes into the game another chance came and went. Overmars went on another run down the left before checking back and playing the ball inside to Petit. Winterburn charged into the area on the overlap and Petit beautifully laid the ball into his path. Somewhat inadvertently I think, Nutty dummied past the last defender to leave himself with only the keeper to beat, but Wandzik came out quickly and from an acute angle Winterburn flashed a left foot shot across goal and just wide of the far post. Arsenal's attacking now started becoming somewhat more laboured and the Greeks gradually began to work their way into the match, frustrating the Gunners with their close marking and by keeping possession for periods in defence and midfield. However, it was half an hour before they had a real chance of any note, and even then it was a rather speculative 30 yard shot from the left wing-back Lagonikakis which Seaman had to watch carefully before palming it over the bar. The visitors did then start to look more dangerous though, and soon afterwards some quick interpassing just outside the area confused the Arsenal defence and left Liberopoulos with a chance from the edge of the area, but his dipping volley cleared the bar by a couple of feet. The striker had the Greeks' only other notable chance of the half later when he was again found in space on the right just outside the area, but this time his shot was sliced so badly it didn't even reach the goal line. Arsenal pulled themselves back together in the final few minutes of the half, mainly through Overmars' running down the left, and it was the flying Dutchman who had the first of two successive chances which were probably the best of the first 45 minutes. Bergkamp held the ball up just inside the area with his back to goal before brilliantly backheeling it through to pick out Overmars' run. He had only the keeper to beat, but Wandzik again blocked superbly, and the rebound fell to Anelka in the middle of the area. It seemed he had only to get the ball on target to score, but his left foot shot from 10 yards was somehow stopped on the line by Doumas' foot, just in front of Mykland's arm. The defender then just managed to hook the ball clear as Dixon lunged in to try and force the ball home. A minute or two from the break Arsenal had another good chance when Petit took a quick free kick on the edge of his own area and brilliantly spotted Bergkamp's run from inside his own half. The Dutch master ran clear on to the lofted pass and hit an early first time volley from 25 yards which had the keeper beaten but fizzed a few feet past the post. The first 15 minutes of the 2nd half followed much the same pattern as the middle part of the 1st, with Arsenal struggling unsuccessfully to make much impression on the Panathinaikos defence. However, one of their more promising moves led to the corner from which the Gunners finally scored. A pass from ?Vieira sent Anelka away, and he held the ball up wide on the right close to the goal line before rolling it inside in an attempt to pick out Garde's run into the area. A defender was tracking him closely though, but conceded the corner which Petit curled in with his left foot to the far post. Wandzik made his first real mistake of the night, and dropped the ball when under no real pressure. Vieira knocked the loose ball square and at the opposite post Adams lashed a first time left foot shot from just outside the 6yd box high into the back of the net. The goal gave Arsenal new life and soon afterwards they could have gone two goals in front when a superb crossfield pass from Overmars picked out his compatriot's run down the right, but from the edge of the area Bergkamp stroked his shot a couple of feet wide of the near post. It was then Overmars again who forced Wandzik into another save, as he drifted along the edge of the box before unleashing a terrific shot which Wandzik was at full stretch to palm round the post. His relief was only temporary though because from the resulting corner, again curled in by Petit, Keown rose at the near post to glance a superb header which went in off the opposite post. Panathinaikos were now forced to press forward more urgently, but rarely looked like scoring apart from during one scramble in the Arsenal area which followed when a free kick in from the left wasn't properly cleared. A mishit shot from outside the area bobbled around and one of the Greeks threw himself to the floor as Vieira challenged, but the ref rightly ignored the theatrics. However, Vieira's attempt to put the ball out for a corner was unconvincing and Asanovic running from the left seemed to have a decent chance from an angle, but he put his shot well wide. At the other end Arsenal were close to taking advantage of the extra space, but several breaks just failed to produce a telling final ball. Anelka twice almost broke through, the first time getting to his feet quickly and away down the right after being fouled by Mykland just inside the Arsenal half, only to be called back by a late whistle from the ref who had decided the foul was worthy of a booking. The second time Anelka raced through the middle and touched the ball past Doumas, only to be tripped by the defender a few yards outside the area, which again earned the transgressor a yellow card. Arsenal did come close to scoring a few minutes from time when a brilliant Petit chip sent Overmars clear of the offside trap, but as he turned and followed the flight of the ball the keeper came out quickly, and as Overmars tried to collect the ball it got caught slightly under his feet and Wandzik managed to get a hand to the ball as the Dutchman tried to take it round him. The Gunners did their best to make sure their fans didn't get too bored in the last couple of minutes by giving away a rather soft goal less than two minutes from time. One of the substitutes won a free kick out on the left with a fantastically theatrical pirouette and fall after minimal contact by Vivas. Asanovic curled the free kick in to the edge of the 6yd box and the ball bounced down into the ground off a combination of an attacker and Vieira, and spun up to the far post where the smallest man on the pitch, the Brazilian sub Mauro, got above Winterburn to head into the net from 6 yards via Seaman's attempt to keep it out. A last moment of real anxiety then occurred 2 minutes into stoppage time when Vieira gave away another free kick just beyond the left hand corner of the area, and was booked which means he misses the next game. Asanovic played the ball wide to an unmarked player on the left but his low cross went straight into Seaman's arms and the ref immediately blew for time to huge cheers of relief. Not an entirely convincing performance from Arsenal, but against unambitious opponents it was enough, and the Gunners in the end made enough chances to have won comfortably. The loss of Vieira for the next game, at home against Dynamo Kiev is a blow, but if we can manage to win that one it will put us in a strong position at the top of the group.
Seaman 7.0 Didn't have much to do really. Made one good save and
some competent takes from crosses. Perhaps slightly
flatfooted for their goal.
Dixon 7.0 Reasonably competent game, though didn't see much of
the ball going forward because most of Arsenal's attacks
went down the opposite side.
Adams 8.0 Another storming game, though there was a short period
in the first half when the defence was a bit
disorganised. He was the one driving Arsenal forward
when things were threatened to go flat in the 2nd half.
Keown 7.5 Another solid game and a great header for the goal, his
first in over 2 years.
Winterburn 7.5 Typically Nutty game.
Garde 6.5 Looked rather out of touch for a while, and not a
patch on Parlour going forward, but stuck to it and
got better as the game went on.
Vieira 8.0 Another good game, spoilt only by the late booking and
a couple of wayward passes during breaks late in the
game.
Petit 8.0 Also superb again, though he looked slightly off form
early on.
Overmars 8.0 Arsenal's most dangerous attacker, consistently caused
problems down the left, and consistently pulled back by
his marker.
Anelka 7.5 Pretty good game again, really only lacking a goal.
Bergkamp 7.0 At the time I thought he still looked rather off form
again, but my opinion improved on watching the game
again on video afterwards. There are still occasions
when he's not quite there but still some lovely touches.
Derek
Other reports
copyright belongs to original author where credited. otherwise © Rupert Ward, ArseWeb MMV ArseWeb is NOT the official Arsenal site. The (excellent) official site is here |