UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 - Arsenal finish the English job

ARSENAL required a win last night and finished the English job of ensuring all four sides qualified for the knockout stages.  As the UEFA Champions League heads into its winter hibernation, the Gunners recorded a 3-1 win over the whipping boys of Group H, Partizan Belgrade, without being anywhere near their best.

BATTLE: Samir Nasri showed his class again last night

A tetchy first half hour was eased when Robin Van Persie went over and got a very fortunate penalty.  There seemed to very minimal contact from Marko Jovanovic, but the makeshift Arsenal captain couldn’t care less, as he confidently powered the penalty away, his first goal of any description since May.  If anyone thought that the floodgates would open, then they were to be seriously mistaken as the Brazilian Cleo bought the Serbians level, with a shot that took a wicked deflection off Sebastian Squillaci and looped over Lukasz Fabianski into the net.  A pin drop could be felt around the Emirates, as Arsene Wenger’s side looked on the edge.  Those growing fears were ultimately eased by substitute Theo Walcott, who took advantage of a poor cleared header from Jovanovic to produce an instinctive shot that Vladimir Stojkovic never saw.  Qualification for the next round was secure as Samir Nasri scored his 12^th goal of an impeccable season for the Frenchman, rounding off a brilliant team move, something the Gunners lacked all night.  Bakary Sagna was dismissed for clipping one of the Partizan strikers, when the last defender with four minutes to go.  It could be a costly dismissal, depending on who Arsenal ends up getting in the next round, but they dragged their way through for the eleventh year in a row.  The news was good elsewhere, as Sporting Braga’s dream was dismissed, seen off 2-0 in a tame affair by the group winners Shakhtar Donetsk.

TROUBLES: Salomon Kalou couldn't find a way through

Didier Drogba made an emotional return to the Stade Velodrome, but Chelsea continued their miserable record of late, beaten 1-0 in France by Marseille.  All the early threat came from Marseille, with Mathieu Balbuena hitting the frame of the goal in the first half and Gabriel Heinze having a flashing header ruled out for offside. However, Soulyemane Diawara was lucky to get away with two dodgy challenges in the box, one which was initially penalised by the referee, only to be over-ruled by the extra official behind the goal.  The only goal came with ten minutes remaining; Taye Taiwo’s shot was deflected, but fell perfectly for Brandau, who rolled the ball past Petr Cech.  Chelsea’s first slip-up in Europe this season, but how long has Carlo Ancelotti got left in the West London dugout.  Elsewhere in Group F, UEFA are bound to investigate the distasteful crowd scenes in the dead rubber between MSK Zilina and Spartak Moscow.  Play was held up for twenty minutes, with flares being thrown onto the field.  For the record, the Russians came from behind to win 2-1.

On Tuesday night, a far from clinical Manchester United got the point they required to top Group C. They fell behind to their rivals, Valencia; Pablo Hernandez put the Spaniards infront after a glaring error from Michael Carrick.  It was the first goal that United have conceded in Europe this season.  Anderson levelled the match, following up the quickest from Ji-Sung Park’s shot, which had been excellently stopped.  The major positive for Sir Alex Ferguson will be the return to top form of Wayne Rooney, who looked evidently dangerous all night for the first time in a long while.

CONFIDENT: Jermain Defoe looks back to his best

Spurs spectacular campaign continued, with another special match in Holland, but their 3-3 draw against FC Twente was enough to top Group A.  Tottenham took the lead three times in the game, the first coming when 40-year old goalkeeper Sander Boschker made a calamitous attempt to clear a Peter Wisgerhof back pass and the ball trickled in on 12 minutes.  It was a goal that would be perfect to grace any Christmas blooper DVD.  Denny Landzaat scored a retaken penalty to make it 1-1 at half-time, but two confident finishes from Jermain Defoe, either side of a good header from right-back Roberto Rosales had the visitors infront again.  Nacer Chadli drew the Dutch champions’ level again with a near-perfect free-kick, securing European football after Christmas for FC Twente.

RARE: Miller's first CL strike in four years wasn't enough

Rangers were already out of the qualification race in Group C, but they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Turkey against Buraspor.  Kenny Miller scored his first Champions League goal in four years, but the hopeless Turks earned their first and only point of the group stage courtesy of a Sercan Yildiram effort.  Elsewhere in Europe and AS Roma’s 1-1 draw in Romania against CFR Cluj, good enough to qualify in Group E.  Marco Borriello’s early goal made it a comfortable night for Claudio Ranieri’s side, but it was a miserable week for the Italian sides.  AC Milan were shocking at home to Ajax and lost 2-0 in the San Siro in Group G, a perfect start to Frank de Boer’s caretaker reign after Martin Jol’s resignation on Monday.  Meantime, the job prospects are far from good for Rafa Benitez, after his witnessed his Inter side suffer an embarrassing 3-0 loss in Germany to Werder Bremen.  Ten points off the pace in Serie A, Rafa’s position is in severe jeopardy, especially if Inter don’t win the under-strength FIFA World Club Championship in Abu Dhabi later this month.  Finally, congratulations to FC Copenhagen, whose 3-1 win over Panathinaikos in Group D was enough for them to become the first Danish side to escape the group stages.  The Greeks miserable campaign was sealed by a stunning header for ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse.  Just a shame that it was in the wrong net!

Sixteen gone, sixteen remain and a quarter of the sides remaining are English.  Can Tottenham continue their fairytale?  Will Arsenal improve?  Can Chelsea hold it together?  Or have Manchester United got something in the tank?  We will find out more in February.  Happy Christmas from UEFA! 

Slovenia 0-1 England: Energetic England Progess Into Knockout Stages

Now that’s more like it.  Once more, when the chips are down, England pull out a performance full of blood, sweat and determination.  A tense, but thoroughly deserved 1-0 win over Slovenia at the Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth sees Fabio Capello’s men edge into the knockout stages, with a performance that will make the nation belief again.

It was a match that England had to deliver, after two stuttering and abject displays against the USA and Algeria.  Capello made three alterations to his line-up, with Matthew Upson replacing Jamie Carragher at the heart of the defence, due to Carragher’s suspension.  James Milner, fully fit after a virus took over from Aaron Lennon on the right-side of midfield and Jermain Defoe was drafted in for the inadequate Emile Heskey upfront.  All three made significant contributions to the winning performance.

Upson made a last-ditch challenge in the dying stages to deny Slovenia their best chance, but it was Milner and Defoe who were the main men, becoming English folklore heroes in the process.  The moment came on 23 minutes, when Milner, who combined well on the right-hand side with Glen Johnson all day, swung in a wicked ball into the penalty area.  Defoe, who had barely had a touch upto that point, stole half a yard on his marker, and powered a rasping drive past the despairing Slovenian goalkeeper, Samir Handonovic, despite him getting both hands onto the effort.  The relief in the celebration could be seen, as could the cheers in Port Elizabeth and back home in many houses, pubs, offices and schools across the UK.

After that, England should have had more goals, and were unlucky to not win by more than the final 1-0 margin.  Defoe missed a glaring chance moments after the interval, with Handonovic increasing his price tag at Serie A side Udinese, by producing a string of top-class saves to keep Captain Steven Gerrard frustrated.  His best save, was when a hard-working and committed Wayne Rooney escaped the offside trap, but scuffed his shot when in a glorious position.  Handonovic did enough to get a fingertip onto the shot, and diverted it onto the post.  Slovenian chances were few and far between and when they came, either John Terry would throw some body part at it, or David James would comfortably hold onto the controversial Jambalaya ball, which would have made Robert Green squirm on the dugout, after his glaring error in Rustenberg eleven days ago.

Despite the major positives, there are the usual negatives.  Rooney limped off with twenty minutes to go, with an ankle problem and the doctors will be hoping it is only a knock, and nothing more severe.  Also, Landon Donovan’s 91^st minute winner in Pretoria for the USA not only broke Slovenia hearts and sent them tumbling out of the competition, but booted England out of top spot in Group C.  It means a trip to Bloemfontein awaits on Sunday afternoon, with the old enemy Germany the possible opposition, should they get the three points they require against Ghana in Soccer City tonight.

For now though, England won’t worry about that.  Pride, confidence and belief is restored; the criticism and lack of team harmony can be forgotten now.  The job has been done, although via the hard route and the knockout stages begin at the weekend, with England still in business and very much alive and kicking in the World Cup.

Phew!