Arsenal 2 Olympiakos 0
Van Persie 78, Arshavin 86
Arsenal’s tempo and movement were very good last night.
As collective demonstration of energy and quick passing, this was the best football they’ve produced for a long time, with Arshavin giving a masterclass.
I’d had a feeling Fabregas would score and he had six shots. In 15, when Arshavin’s instant pass set him up, Fabregas whacked a left-foot shot and keeper Nikopolidis didn’t move. But the ball came back off the crossbar.
For a change, I was enjoying Arsenal. Song was passing the ball forward (yes, forward !) and finding his man. Diaby got some good passes in. At times Diaby exploded forward and got good pass in and didn’t run into three opponents. Rosicky had started, not Eduardo, and he’s such a brainy player that he can disguise his intentions and give fast passes and create anywhere in their half of the pitch.
Yes, Arsenal’s movement was very, very good last night. It was the slickest, fastest football they’ve played this season and they fired in 10 shots in the first 35 minutes.
RVP had the ball a lot and used it well !!! Then RVP shot from a stupid angle. I thought a goal was coming but at half-time it was 0-0 and after 55 it did occur to me that if try to you pass the ball into the net, you don’t score goals from rebounds and deflections.
The Eduardo came on for Diaby, zipped down the left onto a Fabregas pass, and clipped the ball across the goal for Van Persie to stab in from 3 yards.
So it was 1-0 after 78 minutes.
In 86, Ramsey found Fabregas on the right, Arshavin backheeled cheekily from an offside position and the goal was allowed.
Two games, six points, two games against AZ Alkmaar coming up. Helpfully, AZ drew 1-1 with Standard Liege last night.
Earlier I staggered home from the gym to watch the Rubin Kazan – Inter Milan game at 5.30 pm.
Kazan is 500 miles east of Moscow, an industrial city which makes the Red Army’s tanks and missiles.
Eleven minutes in, Alexandro Dominguez did something explosive and thrilling.
Dominguez is a big, long-haired, two-footed Argentine striker who won youth caps when he was with River Plate.
He picked up a short flick from Bukharov, just before the blond striker was clattered by the brutal Walter Samuel, ran straight at Lucio, left him for dead with a stepover, arrowed into the penalty area and, as the covering Samuel flew across to make a last-ditch tackle, smashed a left-foot shot past the best goalkeeper in the world.
Blimey , I thought, that was something special! What a goal ! Mario Kempes, eat your heart out !
As I always say, a big man with pace and skill is the most exciting thing in football and sometimes you need a player who can produce a do-it-yourself goal.This was the biggest game in the club’s history and Dominguez really stepped up to the plate. He delivered. I really admire that.
Rubin played very well and had enough chances to win the game. But Stankovic had equalised with a fine header in 27 and the underdogs were not quite able to score again, despite the dismissal of Inter striker Mario Balotelli, who got a second yellow card for a silly late tackle.