(0) 1 - 1 (0) ArsenalLens. Wednesday 16th September 1998UEFA Champions League
RC Lens squadInfo and comments courtesy of Jean Francois Deveze.
(0) 1 - 1 (0) ArsenalLens. Wednesday 16th September 1998UEFA Champions League
scorers: Vairelles 92 Overmars 50
Arsenal:
Seaman
Dixon Adams Keown Winterburn
Parlour Petit (Hughes) Vieira Overmars
Anelka Bergkamp (Garde)
A good performance by Arsenal in all respects except finishing.
We didn't look so good in the first half, especiallat the
opening, but Arsenal easily had the better of things in the
second half and should have been home and dry long before
Tony Vairelles injury time equaliser.
Overmars looked sharp, especially for the goal which he casually stroked past the approaching keeper from a slide-rule pass from Petit. The ball from Anelka that put Petit through looked as much luck as judgement, though. Overmars also hit the post and had one deflected onto the bar. Parlour also impressed, but Bergkamp still looks a bit drowsy at times. Anelka's finishing still needs a lot of work. Too often he tries to do too much, and a shooting chance that you know Wrighty would have taken early (and scored 6 times out of 10) goes begging cos Nicky wants to dribble it round another defender. Having said that he had a good game generally, and appears to be straying offside less often. If he can start converting a few more chances he'll become the top International striker he so much wants to. As things are now, it has to be said that this game might have ended very differently if someone like Wright was on the field. Vieira and Petit were superb, obviously enjoying the acclaim from the French crowd. Petit had to go off after being clipped on the ankle, and is doubtful for Sunday's crucial home match with Manchester United. The equaliser came after Seaman had made a good save, conceding a corner turning the ball round from an excellent long-range shot. The corner was flicked on towards the near post where Barry Manilow reacted quickly to seize on some hesitation between Seaman and the nearest defender.
Although we really should have got the 3 points, it doesn't
look so bad next to Kiev's loss at PAnathinaikos. If we can
pick up a point from each away match that won't be bad
going. Roll on Wembley.
Result : RC Lens (0) 1 Arsenal (0) 1
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Adams, Keown, Winterburn; Petit, Vieira,
Parlour, Overmars; Bergkamp, Anelka
Subs: Hughes (Petit 73), Garde (Bergkamp 89),
Bould, Grimandi, Vivas, Wreh, Manninger
Booked: Vieira
Lens: Warmuz, Sikora, Etchi Oben, Debeve, Delmat, Nyarko,
Vairelles, Dehu, Smicer, Nouma, Meride
Subs: Moreira (Nouma 68), Rool (Meride 75), Sankhare (Etchi Oben 79),
Marichez, Eloi, Vernier, Diop
Booked: Nyarko, Debeve
Att: 33371
Ref: Hellmut Krug (Germany)
In the end a disappointing result for Arsenal in Lens last night, as the
French champions grabbed an injury time equaliser to deny the Gunners
the winning start to their Champions' League campaign that their second
half performance had deserved. That aside though, it was an encouraging
evening as Arsenal regained the sort of form which won the double last
season, and they were only really let down by the finishing of Bergkamp
and Anelka, and a single lapse of concentration in defence in injury
time.
It was a different story in the first half though, as the home team started the game enthusiastically and their use of 3 forwards with pace and movement caused a few problems for the Arsenal defence. Vairelles in particular was giving Dixon rather a torrid time down the left, but while Lens created some dangerous situations they often either failed to find a telling final ball or were denied by some last ditch tackles and blocks by the veteran Arsenal defence. At the other end Arsenal were occasionally looking dangerous on the break, mainly through the pace and trickery of Anelka. Early on he was put in by a superb through ball from Bergkamp, but Dehu and the keeper Warmuz did well to combine to smother his shot. Petit also worked himself some space on the edge of the area but mishit a shot and Warmuz saved comfortably. Another break down the right by Parlour ended with the ball ricocheting out to Overmars running in on the left. He seemed to have a reasonable chance for a first time shot, but with a defender closing him down he chose to try and nick the ball past him, and the defender was able to deflect it for a corner. Arsenal might also have had a penalty when Parlour appeared to be held down by a defender giving him a bear hug as a free kick was chipped in from the left, but the ref ignored Arsenal's appeals. As the half wore on though, the chances became slightly more clear cut, with Lens having the better of them. Vairelles beautifully turned Dixon on the left and got in a shot from an acute angle which Seaman had to beat away to safety. Soon afterwards more disarray in the Arsenal defence ended with Vairelles again having a decent half chance, but his snap shot from about 15 yards fizzed narrowly wide of Seaman's right hand post. Arsenal were also getting half chances towards the end of the half. A break down the right found Bergkamp some space in the area, but his attempt to chip the keeper from an angle drifted over the bar. Parlour was also put through into the right side of the area by Bergkamp but Dehu did superbly to deflect his shot for a corner. Finally Anelka again outpaced the defence down the right, but Bergkamp had gone to the far post when a run to the near post would surely have been a better bet, and that was where Anelka's pull back went. The Gunners came out after half time like a team transformed, and might have been 3 or 4 goals up within 15 minutes of the break. First a superb break from the half way line, and an interchange of passes between Anelka and Bergkamp ended with the former sliding a pass through to leave the latter clear with only the keeper to beat. He took slightly too long over it though, and a defender came across at speed to deflect Bergkamp's shot for a corner. The ref gave a goal kick. Soon afterwards Bergkamp had an even better chance. Vieira surged forward from the halfway line, skipped past one tackle and then laid the ball off to his right to find Bergkamp with oceans of time and space. He again took rather long over it but still had time to line up a shot, but hit it straight at the keeper from an angle. A couple of minutes later though Arsenal did take the lead with a superbly constructed goal. Anelka turned a defender brilliantly on the left, I think intending to take the ball on himself, but in fact it fell perfectly into Petit's path as he ran through on the inside. Petit took it on a few yards before sliding a perfectly measured path behind the covering defender into Overmars' path as he flew forward down the middle. He was left with only the keeper to beat and he did so with characteristic coolness, sidefooting the ball to the keeper's right as he dived left. Five minutes after that Overmars very nearly made it two. He ended a brilliant solo run from the half way line with a firmly struck left foot shot from the edge of the area, but with the keeper beaten the ball bounced out from the foot of the opposite post and across the front of goal to safety. Lens were completely overrun during that early period of the second half, but with about 20 minutes of the game left were starting to work their way back into it, and the dangers of only having a one goal lead were demonstrated when Parlour rather unluckily gave away a free kick a couple of yards outside the area. The right back Sikora curled a beautiful chip over the wall which wrongfooted Seaman and the keeper could only watch as the ball bounced back off the crossbar. Keown's attempt to clear fell to the substitute Moreira, but Dixon and Keown flung themselves in front of him, and I think it was the former who pulled off a crucial block. The ball still ricocheted dangerously back into the 6yd box and Adams had to head over his own bar under pressure. However, Arsenal were still creating chances at the other end and if it was his senior partner who missed the early chances, Anelka was responsible for the glaring misses later in the game. First, after another typically surging run down the right from Parlour, his pullback from the byline fell to Anelka about 10 yards out, but his shot was too close to the keeper and Warmuz was able to make a good catch. Vieira then put Anelka in down the left with another great pass, but the young striker's left foot shot from just inside the area was always rising and cleared the bar by a couple of feet. As the match moved into the final few minutes and Lens left space at the back Arsenal could have had a couple more. Bergkamp first put Anelka clear again, but he took too long to get the ball under control and a couple of defenders got back to crowd him out. Then in the final minute of normal time Overmars had another good run which ended with a right foot shot from the edge of the area which took a slight deflection off a defender, and bounced off the top of the crossbar and over to safety. The ref again gave a goal kick. The sucker punch came in the injury time mainly added on for the injury to Petit earlier in the half which meant Hughes had to come on to replace him, and in the space of a minute it all went wrong for Arsenal. First Vieira gave away a free kick on the edge of the box and was booked. Sikora again curled a shot over the wall which Seaman was stretched to push to safety. The resultant near post corner was glanced on and Vairelles got on the end of it and bundled the ball past Seaman and Keown's desperate lunges. A sickening way for the game to end, particularly after Arsenal had so dominated the second half. The Gunners deserved to win, but on the face of it a point away from home isn't such a bad thing. I just hope we don't rue the two points dropped. It was however a pretty good display overall - as Wenger said afterwards, if Arsenal can keep up the level of performance they showed in the 2nd half then qualification from the Champions' League shouldn't be a problem.
Seaman 7.0 A couple of good saves, but otherwise didn't really
need to do much.
Dixon 7.0 Given a lot of problems by Vairelles in the 1st half
but as ever stuck to his job and came up with a couple
of great blocks and clearances in the 2nd.
Adams 8.0 Dominant and solid as ever.
Keown 8.0 Also had another strong and near flawless game.
Winterburn 7.5 Solid and reliable as usual.
Parlour 8.5 Another superb game, particularly in the second half
with several great runs down the right.
Vieira 8.0 A forceful and creative display, spoiled only by that
late booking and free kick.
Petit 8.0 Another all action display topped by the brilliant
goal making pass.
Overmars 8.0 Virtually anonymous during the first half, he was a
changed man in the second, and was unlucky not to
have finished with a hattrick.
Anelka 7.5 I thought he had a very good game apart from his
finishing. Caused consistent problems to Lens with his
pace and trickery.
Bergkamp 7.0 Looking like he is getting back towards his best, with
some lovely passes (notably one brilliant backheel in
the first half which had Overmars read could have
resulted in a goal), but still lacking confidence in
front of goal.
Derek/ Other reports
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PLC vsITV. Wednesday 16th September 1998. kick-off: after the soapsUEFA Runners-up league
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