Okay, so who had 2-0 to Arsenal? Everyone? All of you? Oh. They’ve done it again. What a team. Arsenal were extremely good tonight, but they are out of the Champions League on away goals. For the fifth successive year, they leave the competition in the last 16 and they have been made to pay for their slackness in the first leg. You just can’t afford to be this careless at this level. But well done to Monaco, who pounced in the first leg and then knuckled down to see it through. “Prescient little bugger, aren’t you?” says Bill Jones. I leave you with my tweet after the first leg.
"And although it's not enough to win the tie, at least Arsenal have salvaged some pride after this 2-0 win away in Monaco..."
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) February 25, 2015
FULL-TIME: MONACO 0-2 ARSENAL (3-3 ON AGGREGATE; MONACO WIN ON AWAY GOALS!)
It’s over! Time is up! Never change, Arsenal.
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90 min+5: Walcott fouls Silva on the left. Monaco promptly give the ball back to Arsenal when one of their eedjits is caught offside. Arsenal can put the ball into the area. But...
90 min+4: Giroud desperately tries to make something of a ball into the area. Subasic claims it and the Monaco fans cheer. We are entering the final minute.
90 min+3: Moutinho boots the ball clear. Anywhere will do.
90 min+2: Mertesacker tumbles in the area ... but the ball runs behind and a goal-kick, not a penalty, is awarded.
90 min+1: Monaco have lost the ability to pass.
90 min: Ozil twice tries to force something on the edge of the Monaco area. He can’t. But there will be five more minutes of this!
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89 min: Gibbs pops up on the left and finds Ramsey in the area. His shot is blocked! It comes to Sanchez! He can’t get his shot away! It’s an almighty scramble, but Monaco survive! But for how long?
88 min: Arsenal finally get the ball back and attack down the right. It’s messy now. They eventually work it to the left and Cazorla crosses. It’s over Giroud and Abdennour heads clear.
87 min: The ball is deep in Arsenal’s territory now. Arsenal do not need it to be there.
86 min: Monaco bring on Elderson, a left-back, for Nabil Dirar. It’s all hands to the pump now.
85 min: Five minutes (plus stoppage time). One goal.
83 min: Before the free-kick can be taken, Kieran Gibbs replaces Nacho Monreal. Cazorla then drifts it to the far post and Subasic somehow claws the ball off the line! Sanchez’s header hit Giroud and was looping in before the Monaco goalkeeper got in the way just before it crossed the line! Arsenal are going to score.
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82 min: Giroud pulls a ball into the area for Ramsey. He can’t get his shot away. But Monaco are looking desperate now and Ozil wins a free-kick in a central position 25 yards from goal.
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81 min: Sanchez is down on the left after being bumped over by Fabinho. Monaco take the opportunity to break up play.
80 min: Come on, Arsenal, don’t be predictable. Don’t win 2-0.
GOAL! Monaco 0-2 Arsenal (Ramsey, 79 min; 3-3 agg, Monaco lead on away goals)
It’s on! Mesut Ozil drops a glorious ball over the top to Monreal, who takes the ball in his stride and cuts it back to Walcott, whose shot hits the left post! It looks like the chance is gone, but Kurzawa inexplicably faffs his clearance straight to Ramsey, who drills a brilliant low finish into the far corner! Arsenal have 11 minutes to score a winning goal!
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77 min: Arsenal must put better crosses into the box. Too many have been easy for Monaco to defend.
76 min: Ozil swings it in, Abdennour heads it away. Back come Arsenal, though, Giroud winning a corner on the left. Ozil’s on the set-piece again. Wallace heads it away.
75 min: Arsenal have 15 minutes to score two goals. They have a free-kick on the left. Mesut Ozil will take it.
73 min: Walcott is haring through the middle, trying to reach a ball over the top, only for a Monaco defender to get a heavy toe to the ball and knock it back to Subasic, who picks it up. Is it a backpass? The referee rules that it was a tackle and I’m inclined to agree with him. There wasn’t much else the Monaco defender could have done in that position.
72 min: It’s time for Arsenal’s second change and it is Welbeck who’s coming off for Theo Walcott. Can he make himself a hero? Not yet. Monaco counter, Dirar and Silva combining to find Ferreria-Carrasco on the right. He romps past Monreal and slithers a cross into the six-yard box, but no one’s there for a tap-in.
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70 min: Theo Walcott is getting ready to come on for Arsenal. But who for? Danny Welbeck has been good tonight.
69 min: Dimitar Berbatov’s ... well, you can’t say race. Evening stroll. Dimitar Berbatov’s evening stroll is over. Bernardo Silva is on.
68 min: Ramsey is found in space on the edge of the Monaco area. There’s nowhere near him, but he takes an age to shoot, delaying and delaying until he’s tackled. What a waste.
67 min: If it’s possible, Berbatov is standing even stiller. Monaco are struggling to get out. But suddenly, a mistake from Arsenal presents the ball to Ferreira-Carrasco on the right! He skips past one man and makes towards the Arsenal goal, but runs out of gas as he reaches the area, Bellerin and Koscielny able to shut him out.
66 min: On the right, Sanchez tries to cut it back to Welbeck. No dice, but Arsenal are improving.
65 min: Bellerin hangs a cross into the Monaco area. It’s far too close to Subasic.
63 min: Arsenal make their first change, Aaron Ramsey on for Francis Coquelin. The game has drifted in the past five minutes or so and Arsenal need to establish themselves again. They almost do so here. Bellerin’s cross is knocked away by Abdennour, but met on the full by Ozil, whose effort from 20 yards flashes past the right post.
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62 min: A free-kick to Monaco on the left. Moutinho whips it in and Berbatov almost gets his head to the ball. He was unmarked.
61 min: Aaron Ramsey will be on imminently for Arsenal.
60 min: Monaco make their first change, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco replacing Anthony Martial. Moments later, Sanchez chases after a lolloping Berbatov on the right and brings him down with a tackle from behind. Is it to be a second booking for Sanchez? Monaco want one, but the referee shows some leniency.
58 min: For the first time in a long while, Monaco put Arsenal under some pressure, flinging in a series of crosses into the cross. At one point, an Arsenal defender hands the ball to Moutinho on a silver platter inside the area, but he has two - or maybe - three shots blocked. Eventually Arsenal will the ball away.
57 min: Cazorla decides it’s too far out for a shot and crosses to the far post. It’s headed away.
56 min: Hang on! Here’s Kondogbia, storming through the middle and poking a pass through to Dirar, who’s flagged for offside. It was very tight. Up the other end, Sanchez is bundled over just outside the area again, this time by Martial, in almost exactly the same position to the previous foul. Santi Cazorla fancies it. It’s a bit further out.
55 min: Monaco are currently embracing the hoof-it-anywhere principle. They are still playing without much ambition. Is it a dangerous game?
53 min: Mesut Ozil almost makes up for his shirt-swap shame, curling the free-kick over the wall and towards the top corner, but Subasic tips the ball over the bar. Arsenal are unable to profit from the corner.
52 min: Arsenal continue to press and Kondogbia is penalised for fouling Sanchez just outside the Monaco area. He caught him late and earns a booking. This is a chance for Arsenal, a free-kick made for a left-footer.
49 min: And they need more of this. They cut through Monaco at will, ping, ping, ping, and Ozil wins a corner on the left. Ozil takes it, but Monaco emerge unscathed. “Isn’t it more pompous for a super famous footballer at one of the world’s biggest clubs to refuse a half-time shirt swap?” says John Kim. “Jacob, what would you do if you were an icon of the game and were asked for your shirt at half-time?”
I’d sign it first and then hand it over. Which is what I do for one adoring fan after every MBM.
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48 min: Cazorla pings a pass from right to left, looking for Ozil, but it sails out for a throw. Arsenal need less of that.
46 min: Here we go again. Arsenal have 45 minutes to rescue their Champions League campaign and, you know, they might just do it. They’re immediately on the attack, Giroud glancing a header on to Sanchez, who sprints off down the left. He slides it across to Welbeck, but a Monaco defender gets a toe to the ball diverting it to Giroud, who lashes well wide from 20 yards. He claims his shot took a deflection, but the referee disagrees.
Paul Scholes doesn’t like half-time shirt-swapping. “It’s not for me,” he roars on ITV. Expect plenty of analysis on Mesut Ozil’s fashion faux pas.
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Mesut Ozil swapped shirts with a Monaco player at half-time by the way. I am suitably outraged.
Half-time: Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Monaco lead 3-2 on aggregate)
A good half for Arsenal, who lead thanks to Olivier Giroud’s goal, but they still need two more to defy the statistics. Monaco will have been grateful to hear the half-time whistle. They were rocking.
45 min+1: And in that minute, Arsenal almost score again. Welbeck beats Kurzawa on the right and slams a cross into the middle. It’s too hot for Giroud to control properly, but flies straight at Subasic. Moments later, Welbeck is played through on the right of the Monaco area, but from a tight angle he shoots straight at Subasic.
45 min: One minute of stoppage time. That’s all.
42 min: Alexis Sanchez tumbles in the Monaco area, looking for a penalty as Dirar has a nibble, but the referee blows his whistle and books the Arsenal winger for diving! He’s furious. It was one of those that was neither penalty nor dive.
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41 min: Dirar.
I just wanted to give him a mention. He’s been very quiet on the right for Monaco.
40 min: Monaco need half-time. It’s all Arsenal now!
38 min: Arsenal are all over Monaco now and this is almost the second. A cross from the left is only cleared as far as Welbeck, in acres of space on the edge of the area. He spanks a low volley goalwards and a deflection off Abdennour takes the ball inches past the post, Subasic watching and praying as it dribbled wide.
GOAL! Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Giroud, 36 min; 3-2 agg)
Olivier Giroud’s redemption is on the way and Arsenal are right in this tie now! He missed so many chances in the first leg, but he hasn’t missed this one. Monaco’s defence was pierced by a pass through from Welbeck and although Giroud’s first effort was blocked by Subasic, the ball bounced kindly for him and he was able to turn and smash it high past the covering Monaco defenders on the line. Arsenal need two more.
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33 min: A ricochet runs kindly for Welbeck, but he can’t quite bring it under his spell as he bursts into the area, allowing Wallace to wallop the ball away. “Evening Jacob,” says Simon McMahon. “In much the same way that I can never think of Arsenal in the Champions League without laughing, every time I see Berba I picture him in that photo, the one where he appears to have finished a full English breakfast and is looking straight at the camera while rolling a fag, three fingers of single malt on the table beside him, wearing club tie and blazer. Wayne Rooney he is not.”
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31 min: Every so often, ever so briefly, Arsenal hearts soar. Sanchez clips a high cross to the far post from the right and Welbeck makes a nuisance of himself, nodding it down to Giroud, who tries to turn away from Wallace. The ball loops up in the air and Subasic doesn’t know whether to come or stay, while Wallace is wary of not conceding a penalty by fouling Giroud. Eventually, though, the ball bounces away from Giroud and behind for a goal-kick.
30 min: With an hour to play, Arsenal are still chasing three goals.
29 min: Giroud is easily muscled off the ball by Abdennour. He must do better there.
28 min: Sanchez plays a sharp one-two with Giroud and gets round Kurzawa, but Wallace knocks his low cross away. Arsenal have been in promising positions on more than one occasion, but their final pass has been poor.
26 min: Berbatov has just done a magnificently pointless backheel near the halfway line. What a guy. He’s just having fun.
24 min: Arsenal are causing a few problems here. A sliderule pass into the area should be dealt with comfortably by the Monaco defence, but a moment of panic almost lets Welbeck in. He can’t quite latch on to the ball, though, and Monaco’s goalkeeper, Danijel Subasic, earns himself a first mention in this minute-by-minute report.
23 min: Laurent Koscielny hits the bar! Admittedly the flag was up for offside, but it’s always fun when someone hits the bar. It came from a free-kick into the Monaco area from the left. It hit the unwitting Abdennour and landed at the feet of Koscielny, who swivelled and crashed the ball against the bar and over from close range.
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22 min: The game is being played exclusively in Monaco’s half. But on whose terms? “Justin Kavanagh should know that with a Rhinoceros on the pitch, not only are they good at stomping out bushfires in the wild, they are proficient in putting out cigarettes in change rooms and not much else,” says Raymond Reardon.
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21 min: Kurzawa dithers and has his pocket pinched by Sanchez, who finds Cazorla. He finds Giroud in the area and he turns well, only to find his path blocked by Wallace.
19 min: Arsenal continue to monopolise possession and Giroud shows good strength to bustle his way to the byline on the left and hoick a cross to the edge of the area. Cazorla tries a volley, but it’s blocked. “Talk of Berbatov in the build up raises what I think is a sobering thought, and that adds a tinge of sadness to this game no matter the outcome,” says David Wall. “Whether or not they progress Monaco are unlikely to be the game on ITV in the next round (of course if Arsenal turn it round then they’ll be out, but even if Monaco go through they’d hardly be considered one of the glamour clubs likely to draw an audience if there is no English club for the broadcaster to follow). So for those of us without television access to Ligue 1, this is probably the last we’ll see the Bulgarian play live. Here’s hoping he marks the occasion with something fitting. That turn and flick for United against West Ham, to put a goal on a plate for Ronaldo, was almost worth his transfer fee itself.”
18 min: Joao Moutinho is a gorgeous footballer. That is all.
17 min: Another encouraging moment for Arsenal. Ozil and Welbeck combine sweetly on the left and Welbeck is able to get into that stride, scorching across the ground and away from Fabinho. A heavy touch invites the challenge from Wallace, however, and the danger passes.
14 min: Sanchez spins on the right and crosses. Abdennour heads away. But Arsenal are on top. Hector Bellerin races down the right and reaches the ball before it runs out, allowing him to lift a wonderful cross into the area. Giroud rises up brilliantly, easily muscling Wallace out of the way, but his header flies just past the far post. That was a chance.
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13 min: Arsenal are starting to enjoy the lion’s share of possession and they’re keeping the ball confidently, right up until they reach the final third.
11 min: This is scrappy. I almost left the ‘s’ out accidentally, but that wouldn’t necessarily have been inaccurate. “Surely Berba’s post-match drink would be a Cinzano bianco, a fitting tipple for a man who has eschewed Manchester and Fulham for the high life of Monaco,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Now if only the drinks-maker would cast him in retro revival of the old Leonard Rossiter role.
10 min: Arsenal are going to have to be patient. Monaco defend very well and don’t plan on giving them much space in which they can strut their stuff. Arsenal are yet to offer much in attack.
9 min: Moutinho’s free-kick into the middle is a waste of time, overhit and plonked straight into Ospina’s hands.
8 min: Joao Moutinho does well to shield the ball and draw a foul from Coquelin, who slides through him from behind on the left. Coquelin manages to avoid a booking.
5 min: Abdennour, who looks like he can handle himself, is down for a moment or two after being clumped in the jaw by Giroud. He lies on the turf for a while, before eventually getting up a little gingerly.
4 min: Alexis Sanchez has started on the right for Arsenal and it looks like Danny Welbeck is on the left, although I’ve spotted him quite near Giroud on a couple of occasions.
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3 min: Monaco look confident. Sanchez loses the ball sloppily and Moutinho sends Martial down the left, the Monaco winger running at pace towards the area. He skips past one Arsenal defender and then sends a cross towards Berbatov, whose touch is perfect. He lays the ball off to Moutinho, who curls over from the edge of the area. Wakey wakey, Arsenal.
2 min: Look at Dimitar go! He scoots on to a through ball from Toulalan, but the flag is up for offside. Still, that was a proper sprint.
And we’re off! Monaco, in their red and white shirts, get the game going, kicking from right to left in the first half. Arsenal are in their dark blue away shirts. Nick Lezard points out that Arsenal once came back from 4-0 down. Against Reading.
Here come the teams! They’re not exactly walking out into a heaving pit of raucous emotion. Monaco’s Stade Louis II isn’t one of the most atmospheric grounds in Europe. Meanwhile Samuel Kinsman isn’t happy. “Predictablly and typical to his style, Arsene Wenger decided to be predictable with his lineup tonight,” he says. “He’s the most stubborn manager football has ever seen. Make changes to his strategy? GOD FORBID!!!”
Arsene Wenger, back at his old club as an opposing manager for the first time, says that Arsenal’s quality and desire gives them hope tonight. “Okay, the stats are against us,” he admits. “Football is not predictable, so let’s turn that unpredictability to our advantage.” That’s fighting talk! Arsenal mean business!
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“Surely we ned look no further than our own FA Cup this year to see an underdog scoring more than three goals against fancied opposition?” says Charles Antaki. “Step forward Bradford City, putting four past top dogs Chelsea. All right, they did concede two, vitiating the comparison. And lost 3-0 to the mighty Reading. But still.”
Not to mention that Chelsea play in the Premier League and I think that the last few weeks have shown that counts for nothing.
“Yes yes, it’s all very glib to discuss the two smoking masters,” says Justin Dinkha. “One, a smooth, insouciant footballer gliding across the final third of the field, and the other a striker. But, the real question is, what is Berbatov’s post match tipple?”
Not sure. Maybe we’ll find out tonight. Do they celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Monaco?
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There are a few players who are one mistimed challenge away from sitting on the naughty step in their team’s next European match. For Monaco: Layvin Kurzawa, Joao Moutinho and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, who’s on the bench. For Arsenal: Mesut Ozil, Nacho Monreal and Mathieu Flamini, who’s on the bench.
“There is only one burning question in tonight’s encounter,” notes Justin Kavanagh. “When Berbatov inevitably gets subbed for lung-gasp, will he go straight over to Szczesny on the Arsenal bench to mooch a post-match cigggie, or will he wait and cadge one from him in the shower?”
I’d have thought he’ll have nabbed one from him during the warm-up. That’s how The Berb gets himself ready for these occasions.
So what do we make of that Arsenal team? There’s only one change from the first leg, Nacho Monreal in for Kieran Gibbs at left-back, but otherwise it’s the same team, Arsene Wenger giving the guilty culprits another go. Which means that it’s a big night for Olivier Giroud, who is yet to fully prove that he can cut it at this level. His goal against West Ham on Saturday was excellent. He can do that against those teams and he can also lay on some lovely assists. That’s what he does and, to be fair to him, he has scored against Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool this season. My feeling, though, is that he tends to fall short against the better teams, despite those goals, and that he has missed too many chances at important moments in the big matches in the past. But there’s time for him to get it right. He has talent.
The teams
Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Wallace Santos, Abdennour, Kurzawa; Toulalan, Kondogbia, Joao Moutinho; Dirar, Martial; Berbatov. Subs: Stekelenburg, Carvalho, Matheus Carvalho, Bernardo Silva, Carrasco, Echiejile, Toure.
Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Welbeck, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud. Subs: Szczesny, Gibbs, Gabriel, Walcott, Ramsey, Flamini, Chambers.
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
Preamble
Are you familiar with the works of Arsenal Football Club? If so, then you will have come here fully prepared for them to charge to a SPIRITED 2-0 victory over Monaco this evening, BRAVELY exiting the Champions League on away goals with their HEADS HELD HIGH and optimism renewed for next season’s challenge.
It would be very Arsenal, Arsenal in their purest form, what you would see if you placed this Arsenal side under a microscope. In 2012, they lost the first leg of their last-16 tie 4-0 in Milan and then won 3-0 back at the Emirates, Robin van Persie missing a great chance to level the tie on aggregate, while in 2013 they lost the home leg 3-1 to Bayern Munich and then won 2-0 in Germany. Oh, Arsenal. Why do you do it to yourselves? Why do you always leave it so late?
They’ve done it again this year and they find themselves needing something of a miracle after the the shambles of a first leg against Monaco at the Emirates. Having avoided a meeting with the big boys at this stage for once, they were supposed to be the favourites, only to turn in a performance of rank indiscipline and naivety, freezing as Monaco picked them off on the counter-attack time and again, losing their heads in the last minute and conceding a third just after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had restored hope.
The night was notable for a number of glaring misses from Olivier Giroud and the stats are against Arsenal this evening. They need a 3-0 victory to go through and, as Danny Taylor wrote this morning, no team have ever qualified in the Champion League era after losing the home leg of a knockout tie by more than one goal and needing to score at least twice. Monaco are unbeaten in 16 matches and did not concede once at home in their three group games. And they have ex-Tottenham favourite Dimitar Berbatov, who might at some point break into something approaching a brisk walk this evening, but only after putting out his cigarette first and only if he really fancies it. He also might score another goal against Arsenal, having done so in the first leg.
So is there any hope for Arsenal? The smart money says no. But the stupid money says that anything can happen in football. Arsenal have been in fine form since the first-leg debacle, beating Everton, QPR, Manchester United and West Ham convincingly, and they have plenty of players who can hurt Monaco. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla are in good form and Giroud will be desperate to redeem himself. What’s more, maybe Arsenal will take inspiration from the almighty scare Schalke gave Real Madrid last week. It wasn’t quite enough for them to go through, but then again Monaco don’t have Cristiano Ronaldo to bail them out, and it did prove that nothing is impossible in this sport. Are we in for a long, dramatic night? You never know.
Kick-off: 7.45pm.
