Sochaux 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Bakambu winner stuns league leader
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Congratulations Manchester United!!!
Manchester United 2-1 Reading: Nani and Chicharito see Red Devils into FA Cup quarterfinals
Manchester United booked its place in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after a 2-1 victory over a stubborn Reading side at Old Trafford on Monday.
Second-half goals by Nani and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez were enough for the hosts to claim the win, despite a late goal from Jobi McAnuff, and the Red Devils march on to face either Chelsea or Middlesbrough.
The hosts got off to a flying start and might have opened the scoring in the opening minutes. Almost straight from the first kick Chicharito saw a low shot blocked but neither Danny Welbeck nor Antonio Valencia was able to slot the loose ball home.Less than a minute later, Welbeck went close. Some clever work by Ashley Young saw him slip the ball through to the striker, but his low shot was saved by Adam Federici.
Reading slowly came back into the game, pressing United high up the pitch and looking a real threat at set pieces. United had the returning Nemanja Vidic to thank on 17 minutes as the center back did superbly to head Nicky Shorey’s free kick to safety with Sean Morrison poised to head home.
As the first half drew to a close United was forced into a change with Phil Jones hobbling off, after a strong challenge by McAnuff. Substitute Nani made an instant impact on the game, smashing a right-footed volley across goal and onto the post before forcing Federici into another good stop with a stinging left-footed shot as the hosts ended the half strongly.
The hosts emerged after the interval with a greater tempo but struggled to convert their greater urgency into clear-cut chances, leading to the arrival of Robin van Persie for Young just after the hour mark.The Dutchman’s arrival helped United take almost complete control of the game, forcing Reading further and further back until finally the Royals’ resistence was broken.
With 69 minutes on the clock, Valencia carried the ball down the right, before passing to Nani in the box, where he took one touch before poking past Federici to break the deadlock.
Minutes later, the game appeared effectively over as a contest as United grabbed a second. Again the danger came down the right, this time through goalscorer Nani, who crossed for Chicharito to nod home at the near post and double United’s lead.Wth 10 minutes to go, a lapse in concentration in the United defense set up a nervous finale after McAnuff pounced on some awful defending to drive past De Gea from close range.
Reading have made late comebacks their speciality at times this season, but on this occasion there was to be no fairytale as United held on to continue to fight on three fronts, while the visitors must concentrate on avoiding relegation from the Premier League.
Manchester United 2-1 Reading: Nani and Chicharito see Red Devils into FA Cup quarterfinals
Manchester United booked its place in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after a 2-1 victory over a stubborn Reading side at Old Trafford on Monday.
Second-half goals by Nani and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez were enough for the hosts to claim the win, despite a late goal from Jobi McAnuff, and the Red Devils march on to face either Chelsea or Middlesbrough.
The hosts got off to a flying start and might have opened the scoring in the opening minutes. Almost straight from the first kick Chicharito saw a low shot blocked but neither Danny Welbeck nor Antonio Valencia was able to slot the loose ball home.Less than a minute later, Welbeck went close. Some clever work by Ashley Young saw him slip the ball through to the striker, but his low shot was saved by Adam Federici.
Reading slowly came back into the game, pressing United high up the pitch and looking a real threat at set pieces. United had the returning Nemanja Vidic to thank on 17 minutes as the center back did superbly to head Nicky Shorey’s free kick to safety with Sean Morrison poised to head home.
As the first half drew to a close United was forced into a change with Phil Jones hobbling off, after a strong challenge by McAnuff. Substitute Nani made an instant impact on the game, smashing a right-footed volley across goal and onto the post before forcing Federici into another good stop with a stinging left-footed shot as the hosts ended the half strongly.
The hosts emerged after the interval with a greater tempo but struggled to convert their greater urgency into clear-cut chances, leading to the arrival of Robin van Persie for Young just after the hour mark.The Dutchman’s arrival helped United take almost complete control of the game, forcing Reading further and further back until finally the Royals’ resistence was broken.
With 69 minutes on the clock, Valencia carried the ball down the right, before passing to Nani in the box, where he took one touch before poking past Federici to break the deadlock.
Minutes later, the game appeared effectively over as a contest as United grabbed a second. Again the danger came down the right, this time through goalscorer Nani, who crossed for Chicharito to nod home at the near post and double United’s lead.Wth 10 minutes to go, a lapse in concentration in the United defense set up a nervous finale after McAnuff pounced on some awful defending to drive past De Gea from close range.
Reading have made late comebacks their speciality at times this season, but on this occasion there was to be no fairytale as United held on to continue to fight on three fronts, while the visitors must concentrate on avoiding relegation from the Premier League.
Congratulations Manchester United!!!
Congratulations Manchester United
Nani is Back!
Pattama attack 1kak thibba Reading match 1ke
Congratulations Manchester UnitedNani is Back!
Pattama attack 1kak thibba Reading match 1ke
Nani pleased to make most of opportunity against Reading
The Portugal international made just his fifth appearance since the turn of the new year, but he put in a great performance to fire his side to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Manchester United winger Nani hopes to have proven his worth to Sir Alex Ferguson after making the most of his opportunity and scoring from the bench in a 2-1 victory over Reading in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Portugal international came on as a substitute and proved to be a catalyst for the Red Devils, notching in the second half with a close-range volley, before setting up Chicharito for their second goal of the match, which proved to be the game-winning strike.
Nani has only managed 16 appearances for the Red Devils this season and was linked with a January move to Serie A side Roma after finding his first-team chances at Old Trafford limited.
"I think everyone is always ready to help the team. I always think like that. If I get my opportunity I just want to get on and try to help the team," Nani told ESPN. "That's what happened, and I am very happy for this night.
The 26-year-old was involved in a car crash on Friday evening when a vehicle driven by a police officer hit his Bentley while responding to an emergency call; however, the attacker confirmed he was fine and was happy to be playing again.
"It was not a big crash, but yes I am happy to have nothing bad, but that's happened in life, the most important thing is today. I'm so happy for the beautiful day, and keep working hard," Nani said.
Chicharito hailed Nani's performance at Old Trafford and was relieved to get past a stubborn Royals side.
"We know that it would be very difficult thankfully we scored twice, so we are very happy," Chicharito said. "We were struggling in the last few minutes, because Reading really went for it, but we were able to hang on. We knew that the rival in front [of us] was a very difficult one, and thankfully we scored twice in the last minutes.
"I think his [Nani] first touch he almost scored an unbelievable volley, so he was brilliant today. He scored, he made a few chances for us and the assist to me."
The Portugal international made just his fifth appearance since the turn of the new year, but he put in a great performance to fire his side to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Manchester United winger Nani hopes to have proven his worth to Sir Alex Ferguson after making the most of his opportunity and scoring from the bench in a 2-1 victory over Reading in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Portugal international came on as a substitute and proved to be a catalyst for the Red Devils, notching in the second half with a close-range volley, before setting up Chicharito for their second goal of the match, which proved to be the game-winning strike.
Nani has only managed 16 appearances for the Red Devils this season and was linked with a January move to Serie A side Roma after finding his first-team chances at Old Trafford limited.
"I think everyone is always ready to help the team. I always think like that. If I get my opportunity I just want to get on and try to help the team," Nani told ESPN. "That's what happened, and I am very happy for this night.
The 26-year-old was involved in a car crash on Friday evening when a vehicle driven by a police officer hit his Bentley while responding to an emergency call; however, the attacker confirmed he was fine and was happy to be playing again.
"It was not a big crash, but yes I am happy to have nothing bad, but that's happened in life, the most important thing is today. I'm so happy for the beautiful day, and keep working hard," Nani said.
Chicharito hailed Nani's performance at Old Trafford and was relieved to get past a stubborn Royals side.
"We know that it would be very difficult thankfully we scored twice, so we are very happy," Chicharito said. "We were struggling in the last few minutes, because Reading really went for it, but we were able to hang on. We knew that the rival in front [of us] was a very difficult one, and thankfully we scored twice in the last minutes.
"I think his [Nani] first touch he almost scored an unbelievable volley, so he was brilliant today. He scored, he made a few chances for us and the assist to me."
Lucas: Liverpool full of confidence after Swansea rout
The Brazilian believes the Reds' dominant victory over the Swans is the perfect preparation for their Europa League tie, as they attempt to comeback from a two-goal deficit.Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool's five-goal demolition of Swansea will give the Reds confidence ahead of their UEFA Europa League second-leg clash with Zenit St Petersburg following a 2-0 loss in the first leg.
The Reds' inconsistent form, including back-to-back losses to West Brom and Zenit, have given way to poor performances, but the Brazilian believes the result on Sunday was the best way to bounce back.
"We started the week thinking it could be a really good week for us," Lucas told reporters. "But we had the defeat to West Brom and then the Europa League loss, but we have finished the week off in a positive way by scoring five goals and keeping a clean sheet.
"We know we still have to improve a lot but this victory will give us confidence going into Thursday to try to get through against Zenit.
"With the way we played over there, we created a lot of chances, if we do that again and take them then we'll have a great chance of getting through to the next stage.
"But we also have to defend well on Thursday because if we concede an away goal it will be very difficult for us.
"We have to make sure we go with a positive and offensive mentality but knowing that if we concede it's going to be very hard."
The defensive midfielder, who has recently recovered from injury, believes the club can finish the season on a positive note if they can turn in consistent performances.
"It's difficult to explain. As players you get frustrated a lot of times as well," Lucas said. "When you think we are starting to get some good momentum we have a defeat and a setback.
"But there is still time to get that consistency. Our league position is not great [seventh, with nine points off the top four having played one match more] but we must keep fighting and see what happens.
"If we can get that consistency then we can finish this season on a high."
The Brazilian believes the Reds' dominant victory over the Swans is the perfect preparation for their Europa League tie, as they attempt to comeback from a two-goal deficit.Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool's five-goal demolition of Swansea will give the Reds confidence ahead of their UEFA Europa League second-leg clash with Zenit St Petersburg following a 2-0 loss in the first leg.
The Reds' inconsistent form, including back-to-back losses to West Brom and Zenit, have given way to poor performances, but the Brazilian believes the result on Sunday was the best way to bounce back.
"We started the week thinking it could be a really good week for us," Lucas told reporters. "But we had the defeat to West Brom and then the Europa League loss, but we have finished the week off in a positive way by scoring five goals and keeping a clean sheet.
"We know we still have to improve a lot but this victory will give us confidence going into Thursday to try to get through against Zenit.
"With the way we played over there, we created a lot of chances, if we do that again and take them then we'll have a great chance of getting through to the next stage.
"But we also have to defend well on Thursday because if we concede an away goal it will be very difficult for us.
"We have to make sure we go with a positive and offensive mentality but knowing that if we concede it's going to be very hard."
The defensive midfielder, who has recently recovered from injury, believes the club can finish the season on a positive note if they can turn in consistent performances.
"It's difficult to explain. As players you get frustrated a lot of times as well," Lucas said. "When you think we are starting to get some good momentum we have a defeat and a setback.
"But there is still time to get that consistency. Our league position is not great [seventh, with nine points off the top four having played one match more] but we must keep fighting and see what happens.
"If we can get that consistency then we can finish this season on a high."
Martinez 'in contention' to face Arsenal in Champions League
The Spanish midfielder looks set to be fit enough to face the Gunners in Tuesday's much-anticipated European clash after missing Bayern Munich's weekend match.
Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez is “in contention” to face Arsenal in Tuesday night’s Champions League encounter, according to coach Jupp Heynckes.
Martinez, who cost the Bavarian club 40 million euros in the summer, did not feature against Wolfsburg on Friday due to a bruised toe. After completing a training session on Saturday, Heynckes was happy with his progress, though, and now believes Martinez could take part in the first leg of the last 16 clash.
“The way it looks at the moment, he’s in contention for selection,” Heynckes told FCB.tv.The news that Martinez should be fit for selection follows Bayern losing Holger Badstuber to injury and Jerome Boateng to suspension ahead of the trip to the Emirates.
Martinez has been a mainstay of Bayern’s midfield this season, playing 19 games and scoring one goal.
The Spanish midfielder looks set to be fit enough to face the Gunners in Tuesday's much-anticipated European clash after missing Bayern Munich's weekend match.
Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez is “in contention” to face Arsenal in Tuesday night’s Champions League encounter, according to coach Jupp Heynckes.
Martinez, who cost the Bavarian club 40 million euros in the summer, did not feature against Wolfsburg on Friday due to a bruised toe. After completing a training session on Saturday, Heynckes was happy with his progress, though, and now believes Martinez could take part in the first leg of the last 16 clash.
“The way it looks at the moment, he’s in contention for selection,” Heynckes told FCB.tv.The news that Martinez should be fit for selection follows Bayern losing Holger Badstuber to injury and Jerome Boateng to suspension ahead of the trip to the Emirates.
Martinez has been a mainstay of Bayern’s midfield this season, playing 19 games and scoring one goal.
Hamsik robbed at gunpoint in Naples
The Slovakian playmaker has revealed his distress after he he had his Rolex taken from him by armed assailants following the Partenopei's 0-0 draw with Sampdoria.
Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik has confirmed that he was robbed at gunpoint by two men while driving to the airport after his side's 0-0 with Sampdoria on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Slovakian had the windows of his car smashed by two armed assailants, and was forced into giving up his Rolex watch, but escaped unharmed.
"I'm really unhappy about what happened after the match. It's the third time that it's happened to me since I've been here," Hamsik told his club's official website. "I'm really sorry that these kind of things happen but unfortunately it is one of the hardships of living in Napoli."
Other Napoli players such as Edinson Cavani, Valon Behrami and Ezequiel Lavezzi have all fallen victim to crime in the city in recent years.
The Slovakian playmaker has revealed his distress after he he had his Rolex taken from him by armed assailants following the Partenopei's 0-0 draw with Sampdoria.
Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik has confirmed that he was robbed at gunpoint by two men while driving to the airport after his side's 0-0 with Sampdoria on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Slovakian had the windows of his car smashed by two armed assailants, and was forced into giving up his Rolex watch, but escaped unharmed.
"I'm really unhappy about what happened after the match. It's the third time that it's happened to me since I've been here," Hamsik told his club's official website. "I'm really sorry that these kind of things happen but unfortunately it is one of the hardships of living in Napoli."
Other Napoli players such as Edinson Cavani, Valon Behrami and Ezequiel Lavezzi have all fallen victim to crime in the city in recent years.
AC Milan should man-mark Messi, says Berlusconi
The Rossoneri president is anticipating a tough clash against Barcelona on Wednesday, and hinted that Massimiliano Allegri will see out his contract at San Sir AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi believes that Barcelona star Lionel Messi should be man-marked in the club's upcoming Champions League last-16 encounter on Wednesday.
The former Prime Minister of Italy has emphasized that he will not be telling Massimiliano Allegri how to set up the team, and is aware of the task at hand.
"It will be very difficult to beat Barcelona," the former Italian Prime Minister told RTL 102.5."I still haven’t found the time to talk to boss Allegri, but I won’t tell him what side to pick – I've never done that.
He added, "I know the role of the president and that of the coach – I respect those – but a president has the right to give advice to his coach.
"On this occasion my suggestion would be that Messi is man-marked."
Berlusconi then went on to confirm that the former Cagliari boss is likely to be in charge at San Siro for one more season.
"If a president doesn't agree with a coach then he fires him, but Allegri is still here and has a contract for another year," he revealed.
The Rossoneri president is anticipating a tough clash against Barcelona on Wednesday, and hinted that Massimiliano Allegri will see out his contract at San Sir AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi believes that Barcelona star Lionel Messi should be man-marked in the club's upcoming Champions League last-16 encounter on Wednesday.
The former Prime Minister of Italy has emphasized that he will not be telling Massimiliano Allegri how to set up the team, and is aware of the task at hand.
"It will be very difficult to beat Barcelona," the former Italian Prime Minister told RTL 102.5."I still haven’t found the time to talk to boss Allegri, but I won’t tell him what side to pick – I've never done that.
He added, "I know the role of the president and that of the coach – I respect those – but a president has the right to give advice to his coach.
"On this occasion my suggestion would be that Messi is man-marked."
Berlusconi then went on to confirm that the former Cagliari boss is likely to be in charge at San Siro for one more season.
"If a president doesn't agree with a coach then he fires him, but Allegri is still here and has a contract for another year," he revealed.
UEFA Champions League 2013.02.19 Round of 16 Fixtures
UEFA Champions League 2013.02.19 Round of 16 Fixtures
Porto Vs Malaga
Arsenal Vs Bayern
UEFA Champions League 2013.02.19 Round of 16 Fixtures
Porto Vs Malaga
Arsenal Vs Bayern
Aniwa bro
Nani is Back!
Pattama attack 1kak thibba Reading match 1ke
Porto 1-0 Malaga: Moutinho the difference for Portuguese giants
Porto took the upper hand in its UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with Malaga as it emerged victorious with a routine 1-0 win at the Dragao.
In what was a largely stale first half, Manuel Pellegrini's selection of two immobile strikers in Julio Baptista and Roque Santa Cruz saw his side pose very little threat as the hosts dominated possession. It was not until the second half that Vitor Pereira's men made their superiority on the night count, as Joao Moutinho slotted home a tidy finish to win it, and Porto avoided conceding the away goal to take the edge heading into the second leg.
The Dragoes started brightly, as Marat Izmailov shifted the ball onto his right foot in the third minute but was unable pick out the bottom corner of Willy Caballero's goal.
Things did not continue quite at the same pace, but the hosts still looked like the more threatening side in a cagey affair, particularly from set pieces. In the 20th minute Silvestre Valera flicked on a corner from the near post, which narrowly evaded Fernando for what would have been a simple finish.
Malaga found it difficult to create anything in the opposition's half, with Isco not seeing enough of the ball to weave his magic in the opening half hour.
Conversely, Jackson Martinez was a real handful down the other end. He displayed a real knack for running into space behind the defense, but Malaga worked well as a unit to ensure he was not allowed too much freedom.
The Andalusians only managed a single shot on goal in the first half and a similar pattern followed after the break. Again it was Izmailov who was the danger, but after eluding Antunes he failed to divert Valera's cross on target from close range.
Jeremy Toulalan then got in a vital block to deny Lucho Gonzalez, but it did not take much longer for the Dragoes to find the net.
Alex Sandro split the defense with a fantastic low pass from the left, and Moutinho, who waltzed into the area between the center backs, toed the offside line before guiding the ball through the legs of Caballero with a first-time finish after 56 minutes.
Pellegrini's late changes failed to bring his side to life, as Porto cruised to a comfortable win, which was just its 13th victory in 38 meetings with teams from its neigboring country. Malaga will welcome the Portuguese side to La Roselada on March 13 with the onus firmly on the Spanish side to seize the initiative.
Porto took the upper hand in its UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with Malaga as it emerged victorious with a routine 1-0 win at the Dragao.
In what was a largely stale first half, Manuel Pellegrini's selection of two immobile strikers in Julio Baptista and Roque Santa Cruz saw his side pose very little threat as the hosts dominated possession. It was not until the second half that Vitor Pereira's men made their superiority on the night count, as Joao Moutinho slotted home a tidy finish to win it, and Porto avoided conceding the away goal to take the edge heading into the second leg.
The Dragoes started brightly, as Marat Izmailov shifted the ball onto his right foot in the third minute but was unable pick out the bottom corner of Willy Caballero's goal.
Things did not continue quite at the same pace, but the hosts still looked like the more threatening side in a cagey affair, particularly from set pieces. In the 20th minute Silvestre Valera flicked on a corner from the near post, which narrowly evaded Fernando for what would have been a simple finish.
Malaga found it difficult to create anything in the opposition's half, with Isco not seeing enough of the ball to weave his magic in the opening half hour.
Conversely, Jackson Martinez was a real handful down the other end. He displayed a real knack for running into space behind the defense, but Malaga worked well as a unit to ensure he was not allowed too much freedom.
The Andalusians only managed a single shot on goal in the first half and a similar pattern followed after the break. Again it was Izmailov who was the danger, but after eluding Antunes he failed to divert Valera's cross on target from close range.
Jeremy Toulalan then got in a vital block to deny Lucho Gonzalez, but it did not take much longer for the Dragoes to find the net.
Alex Sandro split the defense with a fantastic low pass from the left, and Moutinho, who waltzed into the area between the center backs, toed the offside line before guiding the ball through the legs of Caballero with a first-time finish after 56 minutes.
Pellegrini's late changes failed to bring his side to life, as Porto cruised to a comfortable win, which was just its 13th victory in 38 meetings with teams from its neigboring country. Malaga will welcome the Portuguese side to La Roselada on March 13 with the onus firmly on the Spanish side to seize the initiative.
Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich: Kroos and Co. pile pressure on beleaguered Wenger
Arsenal's Champions League dream was left hanging by a thread after it was beaten 3-1 in its last-16 home leg by Bayern Munich.
Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller put the 2012 runner-up two goals ahead after 20 minutes, but Lukas Podolski gave the hosts hope with a 55th-minute reply.
Just when Arsenal was starting to gain a foothold in the match as they searched for the equalizer, Mario Mandzukic awkwardly looped the ball over the line with 13 minutes left to re-establish the German side’s dominance.It leaves Arsene Wenger’s out-classed team with an almost impossible task to reach the quarterfinal stage of Europe’s elite competition. The Gunners must score at least three goals in the Allianz Arena in three weeks’ time to have any hope of qualifying for the last eight.
The pressure is now as intense as it has ever been on Wenger, who had displayed such anger in his pre-match press conference on Monday as he took exception to questions about his own future.
The Frenchman had recalled his big guns as he made seven changes from the team that was dumped out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers at the weekend, with Theo Walcott spearheading the attack in place of the axed Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal came flying out of the starting blocks as it took the game to Bayern but the visitors dealt them a crushing blow after seven minutes with a slickly-constructed opening goal.Drab defending from the hosts allowed Thomas Muller’s mis-hit cross from the right flank to be seized upon by Kroos on the edge of the penalty area. The 23-year-old smashed the cross into the ground and over Wojciech Szczesny into the goal.
Bayern added a second soon after, as Daniel van Buyten latched on to a near-post corner to flash a header straight at Szczesny, who should have done better than weakly parry the ball barely a yard in front of him. While the red-and-white shirts crammed into the six-yard box barely moved, Muller pounced to prod the ball home.
Wenger’s team was shell-shocked at going two goals down and struggled to mount an attack of note in the remainder of the opening period against one of the meanest defenses in Europe. Arsenal caught a bit of a break when on the stroke of halftime, the prolific Mario Mandzukic headed powerfully wide with the goal at his mercy.
Arsenal clawed itself back into the game in the 55th minute, as Bayern conceded a goal for the first time in 664 minutes. After winning a fortuitous corner, Jack Wilshere’s curled ball traveled into the path of Podolski, who directed it over an unmanned line with what appeared to be his shoulder.Arsenal nearly equalizer, when substitute Olivier Giroud almost scored with his first touch after seizing open a fabulous cross from Walcott. With 13 minutes remaining, though, Bayern reestablished its two-goal advantage.
More hideous defending from the home team allowed a drilled cross from Phillip Lahm to fizz across the box. Mandzukic beat Bacary Sagna to the cross to send the ball looping cruelly over Szczesny and into the net, to put Arsenal in a dire hole heading into the return leg in Munich.
Arsenal's Champions League dream was left hanging by a thread after it was beaten 3-1 in its last-16 home leg by Bayern Munich.
Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller put the 2012 runner-up two goals ahead after 20 minutes, but Lukas Podolski gave the hosts hope with a 55th-minute reply.
Just when Arsenal was starting to gain a foothold in the match as they searched for the equalizer, Mario Mandzukic awkwardly looped the ball over the line with 13 minutes left to re-establish the German side’s dominance.It leaves Arsene Wenger’s out-classed team with an almost impossible task to reach the quarterfinal stage of Europe’s elite competition. The Gunners must score at least three goals in the Allianz Arena in three weeks’ time to have any hope of qualifying for the last eight.
The pressure is now as intense as it has ever been on Wenger, who had displayed such anger in his pre-match press conference on Monday as he took exception to questions about his own future.
The Frenchman had recalled his big guns as he made seven changes from the team that was dumped out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers at the weekend, with Theo Walcott spearheading the attack in place of the axed Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal came flying out of the starting blocks as it took the game to Bayern but the visitors dealt them a crushing blow after seven minutes with a slickly-constructed opening goal.Drab defending from the hosts allowed Thomas Muller’s mis-hit cross from the right flank to be seized upon by Kroos on the edge of the penalty area. The 23-year-old smashed the cross into the ground and over Wojciech Szczesny into the goal.
Bayern added a second soon after, as Daniel van Buyten latched on to a near-post corner to flash a header straight at Szczesny, who should have done better than weakly parry the ball barely a yard in front of him. While the red-and-white shirts crammed into the six-yard box barely moved, Muller pounced to prod the ball home.
Wenger’s team was shell-shocked at going two goals down and struggled to mount an attack of note in the remainder of the opening period against one of the meanest defenses in Europe. Arsenal caught a bit of a break when on the stroke of halftime, the prolific Mario Mandzukic headed powerfully wide with the goal at his mercy.
Arsenal clawed itself back into the game in the 55th minute, as Bayern conceded a goal for the first time in 664 minutes. After winning a fortuitous corner, Jack Wilshere’s curled ball traveled into the path of Podolski, who directed it over an unmanned line with what appeared to be his shoulder.Arsenal nearly equalizer, when substitute Olivier Giroud almost scored with his first touch after seizing open a fabulous cross from Walcott. With 13 minutes remaining, though, Bayern reestablished its two-goal advantage.
More hideous defending from the home team allowed a drilled cross from Phillip Lahm to fizz across the box. Mandzukic beat Bacary Sagna to the cross to send the ball looping cruelly over Szczesny and into the net, to put Arsenal in a dire hole heading into the return leg in Munich.
- Status
