Celtic v. Arsenal 0-2 18/Aug/09

[Photo: Daily Mail]



The Gunners made history in a lucky visit to Parkhead, facing Celtic in the first leg of the Qualification Round of the UEFA Champions League Groups Stage draw. Soccernet match report outlines the importance of tonight's match: "Only Barcelona and Dinamo Moscow, in the previous round, had beaten Celtic in the previous 36 European matches at Parkhead."
The next fixture, before hosting Celtic at the Emirates, is against Portsmouth. During the week so much was discussed regarding the atmosphere at Celtic Park and obviously the local fans did not disappoint. The pressure on the Gunners was even greater due to the fact that the underdogs, the Bhoys, would look to outstand the Gunners.

Mowbray's men looked sharp for the first minutes but it was the resilient English side that through possession and without it, managed to dominate the game in its entirety. While many attempts were made from the Scottish team, it was the sole effort of Ireland international Aiden McGeady who came close to any real threat to Almunia's goal. Next fixture at the Grove seems more of a 90-minute procedure, and while the prospect of the half-ticket to Europe's elite congregation is nearer, the lead is dangerous: two away goals could put Wenger's men in the sharp edge of the knife.





[Photo: Guardian]



Whilst Celtic begun with a very active and energetic display, the visitors restored the possession. It was not until the 19th minute that the game moved on quickly enough. Vermaelen saved the day by clearing a ball in what appeared to be a goal-scoring opportunity chance led by McGeady.
And it was the Irish winger who put into troubles Arsenal's defence throughout the final fifteen minutes. It was a tough and difficult match that needed a mistake to break the deadlock.
With five minutes to half time, the Gunners made themselves way into Boruc's goal. Although the possession they had during the last minutes, Mowbray's men managed to challenge their opposite: Maloney set Brown who took a weak shot into Almunia's. As the first half ended with a share hold of possession and practically zero chances for each side, the stalemate was about to be broken in the following minutes when a deflection of a Cesc shot bounced Gallas, who "scored" two minutes from break. Whether it was Gallas who "backed" it, or Cesc goal remains as a doubt to me.





[Photo: Daily Mail]



The threat level continued for Mowbray's men as the Gunners produced a fair amount of chances in the first ten minutes of the second half. Whereas there was not much to offer from Mowbray's ammunition stockpile, the Bhoys attacked throughly, mainly with the efforts of McGeady. Apparently two substitutions were the solution for the home side.
The only way that the Scottish team was heading towards Almunia's goal was through counterattacks. In the 65th minute they had already produced at least five runs, mainly relying in the speed of McGeady again. Exactly in the height of Celtic's momentum, the 70th minute, the key apparition of Diaby settled things a bit more. Two minutes later, Gary Caldwell stuck the ball in his own net, after a cross from Clichy.
Even though the attacks from Celtic were continuous, their attempts diluted against a better defence. This time, as the match wore off, it was the day of the Gunners and the advantage of two away-goals seem conclusive. It could be argued that the luck was on the English side, but with matches of this importance, and the decisive performance by Arsenal, everything counts for and against.