Three goals in 12 minutes stunned Fenerbahce’s team and crowd.
And Arsenal won 5-2.
In the first few minutes we could see that the Turkish centrebacks were 20 yards apart, which was suicidal.
Two killer passes by Fabregas opened the way for Adebayor and Walcott to bury one-on-one chances with keeper Volkan.
Ade slotted in 10 minutes, as Walcott, making a run for the same Fabregas pass, left it to him, and then Walcott went round Volkan a minute later, and produced a superb finish from a tight angle.
A goal of terrific technique and swagger. Romario, eat your heart out ! Even Mrs Palmer, watching Theo’s goal on the highlights later, said, “That was fantastic!”
(Romario is a tiny, prolific Brazilian with uncanny balance.)
Then Guiza’s cross-shot deflected in off Silvestre in 19 minutes. But Diaby, having one of his best games ever, replied in 21.
The ITV4 commentator was Peter Drury, a nice guy that I met a few times when watching Arsenal’s opponents train at Wembley. First half, I was watching with Michael before he went out to watch the second half with some friends.
When it went to 3-1 after 21 minutes, the astonished commentator asked a question.
Drury : “What sort of game is this?”
Michael : ” A game where neither team has a defence!”
Myles : “Volkan must be on heavy medication.”
Almunia, captain on the night, made a brave save to keep the score to 3-1 at half-time. Silvestre did very well to nod down a loose ball for Song to volley in for 4-1.Then Guiza at last beat the flat back four, running through to reach a long ball that came to him off the top of Song’s head, and allowed him to lob Almunia for 4-2.
Then sub Aaron Ramsey smashed in a sweet shot that went in off the post. Ramsey will become a better player than Denilson.
Fenerbahce 2 Arsenal 5 ?
An amazing result by a team with an average age of 22 – not I was less amazed than most. This is the worst Fenerbahce side I’ve ever seen & I said that in a damning preview I wrote on Sunday night.
It’s obviously risky to preview a match in those terms and I’ve never done it before. But I didn’t want to sit on the fence. If I think Fenerbahce are crap, it’s my job to say so. Anything else is cheating.
Verdict on 5-2 : great entertainment but it wasn’t football.
I’m still doing jury service and came home from court at 5pm and sat down with cup of tea to watch Zenit v Bate Borisov of Belarus, an excellent contest with loads of goalmouth action and hardly a foul. Both teams played correctly and imaginatively. Zenit’s style is spatial and geometric and I love watching them. But they wasted so many chances and in 61 they paid the price when striker Blizniuk slipped sub Nekhaychick through for a nice goal.
But then the curly-haired Turk Fatih Tekke got onto a diagonal long ball from Shirokov and rammed in his 7th goal of the season past dodgy keeper Sergei Veremko to keep Zenit’s European season just about flickering.
Bate previously drew 2-2 at Juventus and do not play in their own stadium, as it only holds 5,000. Bate v Zenit St Petersburg will be in Minsk in two weeks time.
This morning? Back to court to hear more evidence.
FENERBAHCE (4-2-3-1): Volkan Demirel; Gokhan (Burak Yilmaz 80), Lugano, Edu, Roberto Carlos; Selcuk, Maldonado (Bilgrin 52); Semih, Alex, Ugar Boral; Guiza. Subs not used: Volkan Babacan (gk), Josico, Gurhan Gursoy, Ilhan Parlak, Yasin Cakmak.
ARSENAL (4-5-1): Almunia; Eboue, Song, Silvestre, Clichy; Walcott (Djourou 83), Diaby (Ramsey 73), Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri; Adebayor (Vela 87). Subs not used: Fabianski (gk), Van Persie, Bendtner, Gibbs.
Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden).