Arsenal vs Villarreal - UCL Semi-Final, First Leg [P/R]

A penalty against Villareal wasn't called...

But a deserved win for Arsenal... it should have been 3-1 Arsenal for me...

Henry, again being decisive!

Riquelme, who.....?!

Wenger's first signing for the summer. Apparently this will influence Henry to sign the contract, "I cannot wait to play alongside such a Shifty*ble and skillful player, the way he managed to climb and find his way to the pitch AND steal the show is unbelievable"

El Diablo Rojo said:

But then again it's not a matter of deserving, they should have scored instead, both teams.

I don't mean that Arsenal's victory wasn't deserved but they didn't deserve much more than the 1-0.

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Exactly: not giving a penalty or taking away an offsides goal is one thing. But you cant say a team deserved to be up when they fluffed a chance in close or put it wide or we legitimately beaten away. No team deserves a goal that wasnt scored or was defended properly

Bobby said:

If I remember correctly, it was a Villareal player with the rugby tackle, not an Arsenal player.

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That tackle was horrid. The player who decided to stroll back (Alvarez I think) looked like he was in trouble before Henry was even on him, and then he still didnt get rid of it or play it back. The defending was Robben-on-Messiesque

Bobby said:

it costs too much. it's like 120 pounds to get a shirt with a name on it, 80 without a name.

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I think youre dealing in Euros and even then that sounds like a mail order price, but Ive seen supporters from all over England, not just West London (and yes, that was pre abramovich) wearing kits by their hundreds at home matches

The library was very quiet as things went tonight, too. I could hear the 1500 away fans quite well a few times

Bobby said:

Where did you get one? I want one at that price

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Best way is to know someone, tell them to go into a sports shop there (theyre the same price club store or not) and get one done for you. Thats what im doing in a months time


As for the game itself, I wont comment on the reffing, but I will say that this scoreline seems like a psuedo disaster to me. If Pellegrini is a good motivator, his primary point should be that they were ouplayed in a game that Arsenal were really up for, and they lost by the best margin humanly possible. If they come out even remotely revamped and ready to go, Arsenal could be in trouble when they get to Spain.

Now as for the fouls (some of which were laughable) and the diving (which was, undeniably going on) I wonder how much outrage sky and the rag papers will be demonstrating at how these thug tactics are killing the beautiful game or how the game is being brought into disrepute by cheating

my guess is none, since neither team plays in blue I hope all you morons who were calling Chelsea a cancer and towing the company line about all that crap have the self awareness to realize how full of sh*t people like James Lawton are.

The rugby tackle, Senderos dragging Forlan down, Van Persie's foolish shove, Eboue's knee to the ass and the subsequent reanctment from platoon. Take your pick

does anyone have a clip of the squirrel? I watched more than half of this match, but it appears I missed the best part, so id like to redeem my hour for something of value

edit: Dreath

Damn, looks like Arsenal might be going all the way in the Champions League and nicking 4th spot in the league.

******* Chelsea. That's why Villarreal dived so much. Ban them from football and no-one will cheat OR put in a bad tackle!

Luis Ah-Hoy said:

A penalty against Villareal wasn't called...

But a deserved win for Arsenal... it should have been 3-1 Arsenal for me...

Henry, again being decisive!

Riquelme, who.....?!

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how do you know if villareal would have scored at the penelty?

O yes God deserved game for Arsenal... We did the hard part keeping a clean sheet and getting a goal... should have been atleast 2 goals for Arsenal tonight and Henry wasnt offside... BAD BAD BAD Referrying tonight...

Another game to our clean sheet record aswell.

Dreath said:

******* Chelsea. That's why Villarreal dived so much. Ban them from football and no-one will cheat OR put in a bad tackle!

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cynical, yes, but im sure someone with a level head and a brain in it can see how unjust it is that the press take a saudering iron to our testicles after every game of even remote ill repute, and yet there will only be the standard post match follow up for this tomorrow

If one of those teams were Chelsea, I know exactly what the headlines would be tomorrow, irrespetive of whether they had been the "victims" or the "agressors".

TheBlueBalla said:

cynical, yes, but im sure someone with a level head and a brain in it can see how unjust it is that the press take a saudering iron to our testicles after every game of even remote ill repute, and yet there will only be the standard post match follow up for this tomorrow

If one of those teams were Chelsea, I know exactly what the headlines would be tomorrow, irrespetive of whether they had been the "victims" or the "agressors".

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That comes from being champion's mate. Arsenal were ALL divers. Man Utd were nasty and brutish. Chelsea a mid-point.

KingOfMonra said:

how do you know if villareal would have scored at the penelty?

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grow up, its a goal 60-70% of the time. Had Riquelme taken it, that percentage goes up.

when theyre denied a chance in the box because of a blatant foul that shouldve been punished, thats a world away from putting a chance wide and on the same level as being onsides and scoring, but having it called back

Dreath said:

That comes from being champion's mate. Arsenal were ALL divers. Man Utd were nasty and brutish. Chelsea a mid-point.

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Yeah, that argument makes sense, but with us its different man, surely you know it. Man United were beloved by a good portion of the press for being great reps of English football and dominating year after year, and accosted by those who thought they were cheap shot artists, in the minority. Arsenal were lauded for playing a beautiful game, but being theatrical and were criticized for their lack of english talent, but again, they style and trophies still had people lining up to praise them

Nobody likes chelsea at all. Ill admit, its the exception to the rule when we play elegantly, but we win points, do well in europe, advance english talent, and play evenhandedly, or at least with as much grit and dirt (essien) or theatrics (robben, Drogba, Crespo) as everyone else has done or will do, but somehow when Wright-Phillips goes down under what were "dubious" (he runs into a player at full gallop and falls...how the f*ck can people say thats simulation?) then suddenly it becomes national news from every corner of the sporting press. Kieron Dyer even called him out to his face about it. Kieron Dyer for god's sake.

Alright, ive hijacked this thread and talked your ear off, so ill leave for good

i agree, that should'of been a PK for Villareal.

That ref is just a terrible one..

This was probably the most biased referee I have ever seen. Honest to God.

Arsenal probably deserved to win but, the ref played the biggest part in this match unfortuantely.

reminds me of how much Inter dominated in the first leg (They could have won 5 or 6-1 and Riquelme was almost no factor). The 1-0 is a good result for Villarreal (many were predicting 3-0....and it should have been)

villareal are a bunch of pussies, wow.

Second leg will be fun to watch. I think Vilarreal will do a great response out there in Spain, and score first. But Arsenal will go through.

RUSI said:

This was probably the most biased referee I have ever seen. Honest to God.

Arsenal probably deserved to win but, the ref played the biggest part in this match unfortuantely.

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Oh c'mon, don't forget those false offside calls against Arsenal.

The referee was a shame, UEFA doesnt want a spanish Final.

Im sorry for Arsenal supporters cause his team doesnt need referee help to reach the final.

Why are you all complaining. Yes Villareal deserved a PK. BUT we had 2 clear chances at goal called offside. 1st the Henry goal and than the pass that eboue gave Pires who was clearly onside and coulda sqaured it to Henry.

I dont see how the refs were in Arsenals favor if those offside decisions were rubbish. Pires Gilberto and Eboue probably did deserve a yellow yes. That dude that made a rugby tackle on Henry shoulda been straight RED carded. Henry woulda had a clear 1-1 with the keeper.

So in the end I think its fair to say that a 1-0 is justified. And the game could still go either way. COME ON ARSENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah it was a justified win for sure (PK call or not). Villarreal were just shut down today.

BTW, on the whole debate between the medias of who is better "Viera (uruguay) vs. Barbosa (argentina)" .....like, wow. (I cant believe Fillol <Legendary Argentina 78 GK> actually went out to downgrade Viera's skills on a football show once).

But other than that, Villarreal and all their millions of "temporary fans" (IE: Every hispanic person in the world + almost every team in England who hates Arsenal (Tottenham, man u, chelsea, pool plust 95% of the EPL) + people that believe that football is the sport of underdogs.........will all come together to watch Villarreal qualify in one of the most historic games of all time.

This game is not over, and Henry's misses will come back to haunt Arsenal.