Last night was another thrilling night of football at the Emirates Stadium in London. In the first round of the Champion's League knockout stages, Arsenal hosted Spanish giants and best in the world Barcelona. After an early goal by Villa in the 26th minute, it seemed that the Gunners would be unable to pull off a win. Barcelona boasts one of the best midfields in the world, along with an impeccable defense. It wasn't looking good for Arsene Wenger and company. However, things changed in the 78th minute when Robin Van Persie scored off a wonderful pass from Gael Clichy at a seemingly impossible angle. Emirates Stadium erupted with cheering as the Gunners had pulled it back level. But the good news didn't end here. The 83rd minute saw a fantastic break-away by Samir Nasri, who pulled the ball back and passed across the penalty area to Andrei Arshavin, who buried the ball in the back of the net. Even louder than before, the Gunners' faithful screamed, hollered, and whistled for their team as they had taken the lead. Barcelona was unable to equalize, and Arsenal claimed the first leg of the knockout stage. Now, being a huge Real Madrid fan, nothing made me happier than seeing Barca go down. It was a wonderful victory for Arsenal, and they have every right to celebrate and enjoy their win. They must realize, however that winning at Camp Nou will be no easy task, as we saw when Madrid lost there 5-0 earlier in the season. The Catalan residents are football fanatics and love their team, so Arsenal need to prepare for a hostile environment. As Barcelona, though I hate to admit it, there really is no reason to panic. They all ready have one away goal, and are only behind on aggregate 2-1. With a 1-0 victory over Arsenal, the aggregate score would go to 2-2, but Barcelona would have the advantage and advance since they scored an away goal. Obviously I will be hoping for another Arsenal victory, but like I said, it will be no easy task. The Gunners will need to bring all of their artillery to defeat Messi and the Catalans.
17 February 2011
Arsenal vs. Barcelona: First Leg
Last night was another thrilling night of football at the Emirates Stadium in London. In the first round of the Champion's League knockout stages, Arsenal hosted Spanish giants and best in the world Barcelona. After an early goal by Villa in the 26th minute, it seemed that the Gunners would be unable to pull off a win. Barcelona boasts one of the best midfields in the world, along with an impeccable defense. It wasn't looking good for Arsene Wenger and company. However, things changed in the 78th minute when Robin Van Persie scored off a wonderful pass from Gael Clichy at a seemingly impossible angle. Emirates Stadium erupted with cheering as the Gunners had pulled it back level. But the good news didn't end here. The 83rd minute saw a fantastic break-away by Samir Nasri, who pulled the ball back and passed across the penalty area to Andrei Arshavin, who buried the ball in the back of the net. Even louder than before, the Gunners' faithful screamed, hollered, and whistled for their team as they had taken the lead. Barcelona was unable to equalize, and Arsenal claimed the first leg of the knockout stage. Now, being a huge Real Madrid fan, nothing made me happier than seeing Barca go down. It was a wonderful victory for Arsenal, and they have every right to celebrate and enjoy their win. They must realize, however that winning at Camp Nou will be no easy task, as we saw when Madrid lost there 5-0 earlier in the season. The Catalan residents are football fanatics and love their team, so Arsenal need to prepare for a hostile environment. As Barcelona, though I hate to admit it, there really is no reason to panic. They all ready have one away goal, and are only behind on aggregate 2-1. With a 1-0 victory over Arsenal, the aggregate score would go to 2-2, but Barcelona would have the advantage and advance since they scored an away goal. Obviously I will be hoping for another Arsenal victory, but like I said, it will be no easy task. The Gunners will need to bring all of their artillery to defeat Messi and the Catalans.
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