Arsenal wapigwa tena UEFA nyumbani, Arsenal 2-3 Olympiacos
They trooped
out wordlessly. Silent, stunned. ‘Highlights on the big screen,’ cried
the stadium announcer. ‘Yeah, let’s all stay for that,’ growled one of
the locals, breaking the uneasy peace at last.
Normally, a result such as this would provoke an outpouring of rage. Sometimes, the shock itself is just too great.
Arsenal
knew they had their work cut out with Bayern Munich in Group F. They
convinced themselves that Zagreb was a tricky place to go and defeat in
the first game was no disgrace. But this?
Olympiacos'
Alfred Finnbogason (left) sent the away fans into raptures after scoring
their third goal in the second half at the Emirates
Moments after Alexis Sanchez had made
it 2-2, Olympiacos went straight up the other end and regained the lead
through Finnbogason
Arsenal defender Gabriel lays on the
Emirates turf after Greek side Olympiacos put the Premier League giants
in a precarious position
Gabriel cuts a despondent figure as he
sits shirtless on the pitch following another devastating defeat in
Europe for the Gunners
Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks on dejected after Arsenal lost their second successive Champions League match
Aaron Ramsey (centre) and Mesut Ozil
(right) appear to realise the extent of their defeat as Olympiacos seal a
late victory at the Emirates
Here
was Arsenal’s banker, their three points in the bag. It is Munich next,
home then away. There is every likelihood they could be out of the
competition altogether come the first week of November. How is a team
that cannot extract a point from Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb meant to
fare any better against the form team in Europe right now?
And
the form striker. Robert Lewandowski is red hot, in a different league
to the players Arsenal found impossible to repel on Tuesday. Will Arsene
Wenger admit he was wrong and at least pick Petr Cech in the next
match?
He
can be very stubborn these days. He still thinks there is little better
beyond his squad, despite all evidence to the contrary. He cannot keep
losing to inferiors while insisting this, right here, is as good as it
gets.
Twice
Arsenal went behind and twice they drew level. The third goal killed
them but most worrying for Wenger is the ease with which Olympiacos
scored after the equalisers. Arsenal 1 Olympiacos 1 lasted five minutes.
Arsenal 2 Olympiacos 2 stood for 59 seconds.
This
is arguably Wenger’s poorest result as Arsenal manager in the Champions
League. Losing at home to Manchester United in 2009 was bad news, but
it was at least a semi-final. Last year’s defeat by Monaco took the
English game by surprise — a disturbingly familiar feeling these days —
but, again, it was at the knockout stage.
This,
a group game considered such a formality there were empty spaces dotted
around the Emirates, is a fresh level of humiliation.
Olympiacos
have never won a Champions League game in England, and were on a run of
12 straight defeats here; it was 1976 that a Greek team last scored
three goals on these shores, AEK Athens against Derby County. Even by
Greek standards that has the ring of ancient history.
Yet
here we are. Arsenal in disarray with League leaders Manchester United
up next. In all likelihood, there will be no Laurent Koscielny for that
fixture, too. He limped off midway through the second half, replaced by
Per Mertesacker.
Yet
not even Arsenal’s big effin German could do enough to repel the
matchwinner, an Icelandic international on loan from Real Sociedad,
Alfred Finnbogason. A big effin name, producing a big effin upset.
Every
little catastrophe was present for Wenger on a truly dispiriting night;
missed chances, weak defending, error-strewn goalkeeping and poor
decision-making on the manager’s part. Preferring David Ospina to Petr
Cech was a fatal decision, inexplicable in the circumstances.
The Greek giants take the lead when Arsene Wenger's side failed to clear their lines and Felipe Pardo's (left) shot deflected in
The Colombian winger celebrates his
opener with Brazilian Seba after seeing his shot on target deflected in
off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Olympiacos players jubilantly
celebrate and slide on the Emirates turf after taking a surprise lead
against Premier League side Arsenal
Pardo is mobbed by his Olympiacos
team-mates but their lead only lasted a matter of minutes before winger
Walcott then equalised
England international Walcott
celebrates his well-taken goal during the north London club's Champions
League match with the Greek side
Theo Walcott had made it 1-1 in the
first half after the winger cooly slotted home following fine play from
Gunners star Alexis Sanchez
Walcott is congratulated by his
Arsenal team-mates after the pacey winger had equalised for his side in
front of the home supporters
Ospina
was solely at fault for the second goal, the one that stripped out
Arsenal’s confidence and made them feel vulnerable to the very last.
Credit to Olympiacos for their persistence and bravery, but Arsenal
should have done the job.
Despite
this win, there is no guarantee Olympiacos will even make it out of the
group. Arsenal have not lost to future European champions, or anything
like it.
There
are times when it is genuinely hard to fathom Wenger’s reasoning. What
was the point of signing Cech in the summer if not to play him on nights
like this?
If
Ospina is not the man for Manchester United on Sunday, how is he the
man here? Olympiacos are an ordinary team by Champions League standards,
but not complete mugs. They were always going to carve out the odd
chance and Arsenal had to be ready; this was no night for the reserves.
It
was enough of a shock that Arsenal went behind after 33 minutes. They
had been in control the first half hour, the match almost resembling a
training exercise, as Arsenal aped Olympiacos’ slow, continental pace.
The fans settled into their seats, presuming it would be a matter of
time before Arsenal scored. And then, lulled into false security,
disaster struck.
Post a Comment