So Paddy Got Up - an Arsenal anthology (29 page)

That the historic brace was scored against a Sparta side sporting a redcurrant strip, directly inspired by the one which Arsenal had themselves revived to celebrate their final season at Highbury, added a tasty garnish. It was one of those nuances of circumstance that so often pepper football almanacs, but are all too often forgotten. 

Forward

Three wins out of three became four out of four when Sparta were swept away on their return visit to London. Henry again got on the scoresheet while Robin van Persie, developing a reputation as something of a super sub, bagged two in a routine 3-0 victory to secure safe passage to the knockout rounds with two games to spare. The win was the first time Arsenal had recorded four on the trot in continental competition for over thirty-years, but it still didn’t guarantee top spot in the group. A late Robert Pires penalty in Switzerland finally did the honours as plucky Thun were downed 1-0, before a drab 0-0 draw against Danny Blind’s Ajax confirmed that the Gunners would progress to the knockout rounds unbeaten for the first time ever.

Despite indulging in the best run of European form since 1972, there was little optimism in North London that this particular Arsenal side would be the one to break the club’s Champions League duck. The squad was stretched to the limit with the much maligned Manuel Almunia and Pascal Cygan both forced into action and youngsters such as Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Eboue, Alex Song, Philippe Senderos and Mathieu Flamini all blooded in place of the injured Lauren, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Gilberto. Even the likes of Kerrea Gilbert, Seb Larsson and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie garnered first team minutes.

When the draw for the first knockout round saw Real Madrid’s name pulled out of the hat, there was a forlorn sense that such youthful exuberance could be found wanting. Indeed in the month before travelling to the Bernabeu, Everton, West Ham United and Liverpool all beat the Gunners in the league, while a defeat to Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers meant there would be no successful defence of the FA Cup; it was a painfully bad run of domestic form and made everyone fear the worst ahead of a clash with the reigning Spanish champions.

Against the odds

Amazingly all fears of a trouncing at the hands of the ‘Galacticos’ proved unfounded. Whatever wise words Arsene Wenger imparted to his team ahead of the first leg, they seemingly worked wonders as his side produced a near pitch perfect performance in the Spanish capital. The 4-5-1 formation, introduced to provide more midfield solidity away from home, proved as fluid as any of the performances achieved with the previously favoured 4-4-2 set-up. Gilberto Silva expertly swept up trouble in front of defensive pair Philippe Senderos and Kolo Toure, Alex Hleb and Jose Antonio Reyes provided energy on the wings, while Freddie Ljungberg and Cesc Fabregas were the creative hub, charged with providing ammunition for Thierry Henry. 

Inside the first two-minutes Reyes forced a fantastic save from Casillas. Minutes later a terrific tackle from Roberto Carlos denied Ljungberg. Henry then headed wide from six yards. They were three terrific chances and the clock hadn’t even reached ten minutes. Marvellously, Arsenal didn’t relent and by the time the referee signalled for half-time there was a genuine sense that the Gunners had the momentum to become the first English side to win in the Bernabeu.

Two minutes after half-time Cesc Fabregas, who had expertly dominated proceedings, calmly fed a pass to Thierry Henry. From the centre circle he drove like a raging bull towards the Madrid goal brushing off Ronaldo, Guti and Sergio Ramos before sliding a left foot strike across Casillas into the bottom corner. Across the world Arsenal fans reacted with jubilation as they indulged in replays of a breathtaking goal by a Gunner Galactico in one of football’s most famous cathedrals.

Ljungberg, Pires and Abou Diaby all had chances to double the lead in the final minutes as the pocket of travelling fans mockingly chanted, ‘adios, adios, adios,’ at the despondent and departing Madridistas. When the final whistle blew, the sight of Philippe Senderos in a lengthy embrace with the legendary Raul seemed to sum what had just happened. It was a genuine underdog victory.

With a slim advantage to defend in the second-leg at Highbury there was fear that Arsenal might retreat into their shell, sit deep and try and hold out for 90-minutes. Mercifully, it wasn’t to be the case, as the most exhilarating 0-0 draw ever witnessed at the old ground came to pass. Both sides attacked with guile and quick interplay, last gasp tackles were in abundance, the woodwork was shaved then rattled; shots were blocked by any means possible.

The game, played against the backdrop of an electric atmosphere, had everything – everything that is – but a goal. In the main that was thanks to a superb late save by Jens Lehmann who commando-rolled across his Clock End six-yard box to deny Raul when the Spaniard’s mishit shot looked destined for the back of the net. It was a fine demonstration of athleticism by the eccentric German and ensured victory without the need for extra-time. The Gunners marched on, goalless but glorious. 

Coming of age

Two days later Arsenal were paired with Juventus in a mouth-watering quarter-final tie which saw Patrick Vieira inevitably dominate the pre-game headlines. It had only been eight months since Arsene Wenger sanctioned the sale of his protégé and the pairing felt somewhat inevitable despite the towering midfielder remarking: “At times destiny serves up some surprises.”

Running away with the Scudetto (although they were later to be stripped of the victory as part of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal), Fabio Capello’s side represented formidable opponents. Bolstered by the arrival of Vieira, Juve could also call on Gianluigi Buffon in goal, Fabio Cannavaro and Lilian Thuram in defence, Pavel Nedved and Emerson in midfield and strike options including David Trezeguet, Adrian Mutu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Despite the stellar cast, the only name spoken about in the aftermath of the first leg was that of Cesc Fabregas – it was without question a coming of age performance. Utilizing two years spent learning from Vieira on the training fields of London Colney, the 18-year-old Catalan skewered his old mentor like a matador in the bullring. He ran the midfield with impish authority, always showing for the ball, relentlessly eager to link-up play for his teammates and providing an end product which all but won the two-legged tie inside 90 minutes.

Six minutes before half-time a tackle, as crunching as it was rare, saw Robert Pires dispossess Patrick Vieira and lay a ball into the path of Thierry Henry. Surveying his options the striker picked out a darting Fabregas who with his first touch controlled the ball, with his second teed up a shot and with his third dispatched the ball through Thuram’s legs and past a flat-footed Buffon. He wheeled away in celebration almost surprised at his own brilliance.

In the second half, the diminutive maestro returned the favour for Henry. Racing through the Juventus defence from a deep midfield position he latched onto a perfectly weighted pass by Alex Hleb before cutting the ball across the box for Henry to double the lead. Game over and the Italians went into self-destruct mode. First Vieira was booked and subsequently banned from the second leg before Mauro Camoranesi and Jonathan Zebina were each sent off.

It didn’t get much better for the Turin giants in the return leg; the crumbling Stadio delle Alpi a fitting home for a side whose European aspirations were eroding by the second. In cruise control Arsenal, having amassed seven consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League, never looked likely to give away their two-goal cushion. Seeing out a 0-0 draw, achieved with a minimum of fuss and demonstrated a level of maturity, boded well for the semi-final fixtures against La Liga opponents, Villarreal.

Fancied for the first time

Having vanquished Ajax, Real Madrid and Juventus – three of football’s great aristocrats – a semi-final showdown with a club making their first appearance in the Champions League was not so much underwhelming, as it was disconcerting. Given Arsenal’s travails trying to surmount the European football ladder, there was certainly no room for underestimating Villarreal. Tough opponents, with a distinctly Latin feel, the Yellow Submarines had come third in La Liga to qualify for the competition and subsequently helped knock out Manchester United before eliminating Rangers and Inter Milan. Counting seven players from South America (including the mercurial Argentine Juan Roman Riquelme and Uruguayan hot-shot Diego Forlan) they were dangerous on the break and tough to break down in the midfield.

The pressure was on and Highbury sensed as much as the last European match ever at the grand old arena kicked off. For the first time in months Arsene Wenger’s young squad had been tipped as favourites and this sense of expectation triggered a noticeable level of nervousness, despite Kolo Toure giving the Gunners the lead on 41 minutes. As was so often the case, Thierry Henry was the catalyst. Reacting first to a cleared corner, the World Cup winner fed a cunningly disguised pass to Alex Hleb allowing the Belarusian enough time and space to flash a low ball across the six-yard box where it was crashed into the back of the net by Kolo Toure.

While Arsenal dominated possession, the much wanted second goal failed to materialise. Villarreal were denied a stonewall penalty, Riquelme was booked and the home crowd cracked jokes about a squirrel that had made its way onto the pitch only to be greeted by chants of, ‘Gooner, Gooner, Gooner.’ In the second half Arsenal continued to press but the game petered out with both sides wary of committing too many men forward. It was to be a home win or bust for Villarreal as they settled for a 1-0 defeat in London.

Arsene Wenger promised publicly that the team would go on the offensive when they visited El Madrigal six days later. It sounded good on paper, but when it came to it, the Gunners froze. Quiz any Arsenal fan on what they recall of the first 88 minutes of the semi-final second-leg and they’ll no doubt recall nothing more than a torturous yellow blur and frantic action in and around Jens Lehmann’s goal. Time after time the Spaniards attacked and time after time they spurned chances to equalise. Then, just as it looked as though Arsenal might close out the game, the referee awarded an incredibly harsh penalty against Gael Clichy for a nudge on Jose Mari. All and sundry knew that if Villarreal scored they would win the match in the resulting extra-time.

The responsibility of taking the spot kick fell to Juan Roman Riquelme. As the television cameras zoomed in to capture the moment, three times they focused on the Argentine’s face before he finally, after what seemed like an eternity, stepped up to take his kick. It was impossible not to recognise the look of utter fear in his eyes. When the Argentine finally made contact with the ball it was immediately apparent that Lehmann had outfoxed him. Diving to his left the athletic German parried the ball back past his adversary before Sol Campbell stuck out a leg to put an end to further danger.

It was football at its most cutthroat, a timeless ‘heroes and villains’ moment.  For Lehmann there was sheer jubilation; for Riquelme it was a nightmare that to this day he admits was, “one of the saddest moments,” of his career. Crushed by the miss the Villarreal players could no longer muster the energy to close down their opposite numbers and when the whistle finally sounded many were inconsolable. It was Arsenal’s night.

24 hours later Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona ground out their own 1-0 aggregate victory versus AC Milan to ensure that they would be the opponents in Paris. It was the final the continent craved.

Paris in the Spring

In the eyes of the wider football fraternity, the rollercoaster journey to the climax of Europe’s premiere club competition finally elevated Arsenal to an echelon which for so long under Arsene Wenger the club had strived to reach; while for supporters, it provided further evidence of forward momentum at a time when Art Deco opulence was being traded for towering modernism.

Ten days before the showdown in the French capital the curtain was finally drawn on 93 years of Highbury drama. The sun shone, flags were waved proudly, legends paraded, the pitch was flawless, Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick, Champions League qualification was secured (at Tottenham’s expense of course), speeches were made, the clock ticked down, fireworks exploded and tears were shed as a capacity crowd, decked out in red and white, said their poignant goodbyes. It was a fitting final salute.

While a homely 38,359 had witnessed the end of an era in N5, it was estimated that over 50,000 Arsenal fans made the journey to Paris for the final on May 17th 2006. It was nothing short of an invasion. Around the Eurostar terminal at Gard du Nord, the streets heaved with Arsenal vendors and excited supporters who readily exchanged lager and chips for pomme frites and bière. Given the Anglo-French connection Arsene Wenger had fostered during his decade in charge, even the locals seemed supportive of an ‘English’ win. The biggest match in the club’s history encouraged a carnival atmosphere, although as lucky ticket-holders bid au revoir to those who had to make do with local pubs, nerves began to take effect.

Could Arsenal really beat Barcelona? Was this finally the end of the wait for European glory? Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, it was not to be. On a night of torrential rain, Lady Luck finally chose to sever her ties with the club on whom she had doted so much in the preceding eight months.

With Georg Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest” still ringing in the ears of the 80,000 crowd, Thierry Henry twice went close to giving his side an early lead. In familiar, hometown surroundings he played like a man possessed, desperate to recompense the Arsenal contingent in what seemed destined to be his last match before a summer switch to, of all teams, Barcelona. Despite toiling relentlessly his misses in both halves were to prove costly, although arguably not as damaging as the red card shown to Jens Lehmann after 18 minutes.