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Steaua Bucharest vs Arsenal 2nd October 2007 - UEFA Champions League Match 2 - Stadionul Ghencea Tonight’s match in on ITV4 and I’m watching at home. We have a guest at the moment and I’m not sitting in my usual seat. It’s strange looking at my TV from a different angle while sitting in a different position. Don’t worry though, I’m sure I’ll be OK! No surprises in the starting line up tonight although with Gilberto on the bench again it is looking like he is no longer first choice in midfield. Almunia Sagna Toure Senderos Clichy Hleb Fabregas Flamini Eboue (Silva 73) Adebayor Van Persie The game starts off at a good pace and looks like it will be an open game. On 6 minutes there’s a goal by Steaua. It’s a good header by Valentin Badea but luckily for us the flag goes up for off-side. The replay shows that it was the correct decision and hopefully it’s a good sign that are luck has changed from last season when it most likely would have been given. Only 30 seconds later the ball is up the other end and somehow Cesc manages to knock the ball over the goal from around 6 yards out. If it was on target it would have gone in. Arsenal control the possession now passing very well around the midfield and occasionally breaking into the box where we miss more and more chances. Adebayor is annoyingly booked after he chips the goalie to score after the whistle was blown. The Ref should have just had a word with him instead of brandishing the yellow card so quickly. We are controlling the match but don’t look like scoring. The shot stats after 25 minutes are already 7-2 in Arsenal’s favour. On 31 minutes there’s some confusion after a Steaua player is yellow carded and the TV commentator says that he has already been booked but the red is not shown. It turns out just to be a mistake by the commentator! In the 40th minute a deflected Clichy cross is saved by the keeper but it looks like the ball may have crossed the line. Personally I would have given Arsenal the goal. I’m 110 percent biased though. As half time approaches the match is becoming a little bit frustrating because the team are passing when they should be shooting and visa versa. It’s all too similar to last season. Some of the play is very casual and there’s no urgency from Arsenal. Hopefully it will improve in the second half. Half-Time It’s pretty much the same as the first half with Arsenal in complete control but ineffective in front of goal. There’s danger though in the 58th minute when Almunia runs out of goal to head the ball away from just inside his area. The ball goes straight to a Steaua Bucharest player who cleverly chips the ball over Almunia but Kolo is there to head the ball to safety. It was excellent play by Toure who showed all of experience by going straight onto the goal line as soon as Almunia rushed out. Bucharest have a good few minutes around the 65 minute mark and I have visions of us losing this game 1-0 after dominating for so long. Gilberto comes on for Eboue on 73 minutes and only a couple of minute later we take the lead. There’s a good run by Adebayor down the left he passes the bal to Van Persie who cracks an excellent shot into the roof of the net for a deserved goal. We continue to control the match and press for the second goal. It doesn’t come but it doesn’t matter as we deservedly win a match that we dominated from start to finish. Overall it was a very impressive away performance, albeit frustrating in moments when we couldn’t turn our dominance into goals. So a perfect start in all competition’s so far and we can hopefully take our good form into the next match, a Premier League match against Sunderland at what is becoming Fortress Emirates. |
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