Five times Arsenal proved they can do the business in Europe
Published:
If Arsenal are to make it beyond the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time since 2010, they’re going to have really produce the goods against Barcelona.
Lionel Messi and his team of wizards are very much favourites for the match at the Emirates, but Arsene Wenger is no rookie when it comes to leading his team on big European nights.
Ahead of the contest in north London, we’ve taken a look back at five times Arsenal really came good in the Champions League.
They’ve beaten Barca once before, so who’s to say the Gunners can’t do it again?
Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona – 2011
Not only did Arsenal beat Barcelona at the Emirates, they did so despite David Villa handing the Spanish side a first-half lead.
A resolute fightback after the break however saw the Gunners level the match through Robin van Persie on 78 minutes.
A rocking Emirates then went into overdrive five minutes later when sub Andrey Arshavin netted the winner after a classic counter-attack.
Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich – 2015
Wenger’s men have already beaten the odds once this season, when Bayern Munich came unstuck in north London.
Arsenal’s Champions League hopes hung by a thread after defeats to Zagreb and Olympiakos, while Bayern had won every competitive fixture.
The Gunners rode their luck at times, but Theo Walcott proved a constant thorn in Bayern’s side, before a tactical switch paid dividends for the hosts as Giroud and Ozil secured an unlikely yet deserved 2-0 win as Manuel Neuer proved he is human after all.
Arsenal 5-0 Porto – 2010
Sol Campbell had given Arsenal what was believed to be a crucial away goal in the last 16 first-leg clash away in Porto, but it didn’t matter.
A Nicklas Bendnter first-half double handed the Gunners the advantage in the second leg in London, before two goals in three minutes from Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue wrapped up the contest. There was still time for a certain Danish striker to grab a European hat-trick though…
Inter 1-5 Arsenal – 2003
The odds on a team scoring five past an Inter side featuring Francesco Toldo, Javier Zanetti, Fabio Cannavaro, Ivan Cordoba and Christian Vieri must have been pretty darn long, but that’s exactly what Arsenal did in this group clash in Milan.
Inter had cruised to a 3-0 win at Highbury in the reverse tie, but Arsenal were out for revenge as Thierry Henry put them 1-0 up.
Vieri swiftly replied but Freddie Ljungberg put the visitors back ahead shortly after the break.
The game remained 2-1 for over half an hour, before a late blitz saw Edu, Robert Pires and Henry again stun the Italian side into silence at the San Siro. Talk about sweet revenge.
Arsenal 2-0 Lazio – 2000
The scoreline may not be as impressive as some of the others in this list, but let us add some contest.
Arsenal’s squad when Lazio visited Highbury in the first September of the new millennium, included Oleg Luzhny, Kanu and Silvinho, while Nelson Vivas was on the bench. Good as they were, they aren’t exactly legends.
Lazio’s roster meanwhile included Diego Simeone, Juan Sebastian Veron, Marcelo Salas, Simone Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta and a Czech wizard in Pavel Nedved.
The Gunners went toe-to-toe with their established rivals however, and a Ljungberg brace handed Wenger’s men a notable victory.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
