Arsenal (1) 1 - 0 (0) LensHighbury, Thursday 6th April 2000UEFA Cup semi-final 1st legPreview
Arsenal (1) 1 - 0 (0) LensHighbury, Thursday 6th April 2000UEFA Cup semi-final 1st legscorer: Bergkamp 2
Arsenal:
Seaman
Dixon (c) Keown Grimandi Silvinho
Parlpour Petit Vieira Overmars (Ljungberg)
Kanu Bergkamp (Suker)
There was a slightly unsavoury incident before the game, when the ref
appeared to cut short the minute's silence (in tribute to the Leeds fand
murdered in Istanbul the night before) after a couple of seconds.
It's described here in the newsreel.
It's been pointed out that it could have been the players' fault,
mistaking the refs whistle to start the silence as the whistle to
end it. The way I saw it, he blew his whistle and kicked the
ball towards the centre spot for kick-off, but I have to admit I
wasn't watching very closely. Either way, he had the option to do it
again and failed.
The impressive Lens fans were in excellent voice, and we gooners were feeling a bit flat and stunned, so an early Aresnal goal was just the ticket. A minute into the game, Petit's ball over the top sent Bergkamp racing clear from the half-way line. The keeper came out to the edge of his box and Dennis touched it past him. It took him quite wide on the right but with 2 defenders racing into the goalmouth to block, he just whacked it in from an angle. Sadly, that was as good as it got. Arsenal had more chances, especially in the first half, but Lens proved themselves a much more worthy opposition that Werder. Maybe it was mostly tactical. Where Werder had been negative from the start, Lens came out to defend high up the pitch, with a packed midfield, and attack when they could. They were very quick to close Arsenal down and much of our play looked very hurried. It left space for Arsenal and Overmars exploited it on a few occasions. But the 2 times he got superb aerial crosses in they fell to Kanu's head and we're learning that Kanu is a magician with every part of his anatomy other than his bonce. An Overmars run and cross on 7 came to Parlour on the edge of the box but he lost it. It fell for Bergkamp who tried to bring it through a couple of defenders into the box. One of them brought him down but got the ball too (afterwards, I thought) and the ref gave nothing. 3 minutes later Overmars again crossed but Bergkamp arrived a little late to get onto it. And onbe minute later Kanu missed the first of his headers, placing it softly just to the keeper's left, who parried it down onto the line but then did well to get down quick enough to scramble it out for a corner. Bergkamp then won a free-kick wide on the right and Petit swung it in low, into the centre of the box. The only man there was a defender who headed it clear and Lens broke. The attack broke down but then a Lee Dixon error, dwelling on the ball (did he get a shout?) let them in again and a cross from their right was headed wide. On 15 minutes a Lens player tried a "Nayim" and only missed by about 30 yards. The Overmars beat the offside trap to go clear down the left. The keeper came out wide to cover, so it was a shame that support didn't arrive quickly enough from Bergkamp and Kanu. Overmars tried a shot but it was weak and too close to the goalie. Then there was Kanu's second headed chance. Thsi time he started the move himself, breaking with the ball and spreading it wide to Overmars. Again it was too close to the keeper, and again he only just managed to stop it going over the line. Lens had a few more attacks, including one that ended in a penalty claim as Keown made a crucial last-ditch tackle. On 22 Bergkamp chased a Lens player who was in possession and running towards the touchline on our left, level with the middle of their penalty area. Dennis slid in and took the ball with one foot from behind, then pushed himself up again to end up standign, with the ball at his feet, facing the way he'd come (who says strikers can't tackle?). His cross was good too, but a defender got a glancing head to it to take it away from the perfect place in front of Parlour, who was clear on the far side of the box. Still Ray did well to control the ball with his body, but the ref saw it as handball. Lens had another attack, and a shot, snatched at from the edge of the box, flew well over. After half an hour Bergkamp lobbed a high free kick in from the right. It found Vieira's head at the far side of the box but he placed the header just wide of the right-hand post. As Lens attacked again, Vieira made a brilliant tackle and brought th eball out. He slipped it forward to Petit on the left and he charged towards the box. On the far side Bergkamp came in and then dropped off of his marker. Petit saw it and passed beautifully over the top to Dennis. He chested it down but the defender did well to get back and get a foot in as the ball landed. Then Petit made a mistake just as a nice passing move looked to be developing into an attack. Under no pressure, he played a nice short ball straight to a Lens player, with no Arsenal shirt close. They actually set up a dangerous attack but the defence did well to break it up. It looked at the time like Petit had simply mistaken the Lens yellow for Arsenal yellow, and indeed after the game it emerged that Arsenal had asked to be allowed to change shirts (to white) at half-time. The ref refused the request. An Arsenal corner was punched straight up in the air. When it came down it ricocheted to Grimandi who tried a poked header across goal inside the right-hand post. A defender was on hand to clear it for a corner, and from that corner the keeper flapped a bit again and was very lucky to see the ball fall to a defender after he palmed it randomly away. A nice back-hell from Kanu on the left sent Silvinho scurrying free down that wing. His cross came to Parlour, with back to goal near the penalty spot. He turned and shot in one movement, but hit it centrally, just where the keeper was. As the first half drew to a close Bergkamp's legs were taken away from him on the halfway line, and nothing was given. It was shaping up to be a dangerous attack so the defender was doubly lucky. There were fewer clear chances in the second half, and the best of them fell to the opposition who were defending a bit deeper. But it started with a clear pass back mistake by the ref. Dixon had pumped the ball forward for Bergkamp to run onto. A defender got there first and slipped the ball back to his keeper who had to move right towards the edge of the penalty area to stop it going out for a corner, and then picked it straight up. The ref ignored Bergkamp's appeals. Funny, that rule seems to get applied very randomly, so one can understand why keepers panic sometimes. Although the pass this time wasn't straight to the keeper it was clearly a pass-back. It's kind of ironic that in cases like this the ball is played wide of the keeper at least partly because of the rule (you avoid passing back goalwards when there's a chance that the keeper will be put under pressure as he tries to clear with his feet). Bergkamp got a yellow card for a clumsy tackle from behind half way into the Lens half. Our best chance of the second half was probably when Parlour sent in a fast low cross from the right which came to Overmars on the far side of the box. It looked like it was awkward as the ball was bouncing up across him, and Marc could only get a shin or ankle on the ball and it ballooned over the bar. 20 minutes to go and Nouma, the lone striker who had been having a running battle with Keown all night (Keown got booked, eventually), missed a sitter. The ball came to him from the side of the box and with only Seaman to beat from less than 10 yards he whacked it onto the crossbar and over. 5 minutes later and Ljungberg came on for Overmars, who had not been getting so much space in the second half. Then Suker came on for Bergkamp. The 2 of them nearly conmbined for a goal soon after. Freddie went on a good run across the edge of the box before slipping it wide left to Suker, whose shot was saved well at the near post. The game ended with more Lens pressure, including a couple of decent chances. First Sikora's free-kick wqas curled round the wall and just missed the outside of Seaman's left-hand post. Dave didn't move, clearly had it covered (ahem!). Then Coridon received the ball with space in a central position on the edge of the box, and could only hit it straight at Seaman. So, a slim lead. Lens will fancy themselves for the second leg but will have to be a bit more adventurous earlier in the game. And with Henry's pace adding to the threat that Overmars posed today, I fancy us to get a goal at least. One the other side, Lens will have their regular central defenders back, and probably Olivier Dacourt too. In the other semi, Leeds lost 2-0 to Galatasaray in a game which surely should have been postponed (and played at a neutral venue). Other reports
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