Champions League: Day 3
Posted by Pierre Igot in: FootballNovember 5th, 2003 • 8:07 am
This was a make-or-break day for Arsenal, who lost their first game in the round, drew the second one, and lost the third one.
The game was not televised here, but I was able to follow the live commentary on The Guardian web site. And it looked bleak when, after almost 90 minutes of play, the score was still 0-0. Many missed opportunities once again, and a couple of dubious refereeing decisions. And then Ashley Cole (of all people) scored right before the end of the game. Must have been high drama for those watching from the stands and on TV!
Arsenal’s Champions League dreams are still alive — but it goes without saying that it’ll take more than one victory to get them through. Ideally, they need to win their last two as well, which include a trip to Milan, and then a home game against Moscow. But at least there is still hope. All is not lost. What a relief!
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Champions League, Monaco achieved one of the highest scores ever in a Champions League game: 8-3 against Deportivo. Wow!
Monaco is already one of the leading teams in France and have impressed with their scoring abilities, even in the absence of long-time injury victim Nonda, their top scorer last year. Nonda’s replacement Morientes didn’t even play tonight! Could this be the beginning of a revival of French teams in the Champions League? It certainly is an impressive result.