!’m very surprised how confident Gooners are about Tuesday night.
Porto’s 1-0 victory in Portugal would have been more dangerous under previous UEFA protocol. The former ‘away goal rules’ meant that if the Portuguese club scored at the Emirates, Arsenal would need 3 to advance.
It still though is a case that if the Gunners concede we would need 3 to qualify, 2 to force to extra time.
As demonstrated at the weekend, it takes a second to make a mistake. We have left ourselves little room for error.
It’s a tie we should be winning and if not, we simply don’t deserve to be in the last 8 of the Champions League.
How often though in the history of the completion have we lost a first leg in the knockout stages and more importantly, what happened when we have?
You might be surprised ….
2005
1st leg -Bayern Munich 3-1 Arsenal
2nd leg – Arsenal 1-0
Outplayed for the majority of the 1st leg, an 88th min goal from Kolo Toure kept us alive in the tie. Thierry Henry set up a tense finale at Highbury.
2007
1st leg -PSV 1-0 Arsenal
2nd leg – Arsenal 1-1 PSV
Showing the danger of the away goal rule which we no longer have to worry about, taking PSV lightly in Holland meant when they equalised at our ground, we suddenly had to score two more.
2009
1st leg – Man United 1-0 Arsenal
2nd leg – Arsenal 1-3 Man United
Almunia’s saves at Old Trafford gave us hope in our only second ever semifinal in the competition. What should have been a memorable occasion at the Emirates was essentially over after 11 minutes with United 2-0 up. Ronaldo’s brace was world class.
2010
1st leg Porto 2-1 Arsenal
2nd leg Arsenal 5-0 Porto
Hopefully an omen?
The only time in the history of the competition we have overturned a first leg defeat was against Tuesday’s opponents.
One of our best European displays at the Emirates, Bendtner got a hat trick and Nasri scored a brilliant solo goal.
2012
1st leg AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal
2nd leg Arsenal 3-0 AC Milan
Our most famous exit?
Having been outplayed in Italy most assume we had nothing to play for. Yet at half time at the Emirates, we were one goal away from a famous comeback. We couldn’t find the 4th goal in the second half. It was like we had given too much energy.
2013
1st leg Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich
2nd leg Bayern Munich 0-2 Arsenal
For the second year running we are eliminated in glorious failure. Having been outplayed yet again in a first leg we leave it too late in the 2nd. Under today’s format, our first ever win at the Allianz Arena would have forced extra time, not seen us knocked out due to away goals.
2014
1st leg Arsenal 0-2 Bayern Munich
2nd leg Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal
For the second year running Bayern comfortably win at the Emirates yet we drastically improve in Germany.
Podolski’s strike puts us one goal away from levelling the tie. Perhaps learning from our near comeback a year before, the home side killed off the tie.
2015
1st leg – Arsenal 1-3 Monaco
2nd leg – Monaco 0-2 Arsenal
Celebrating the last 16 draw being kind for us for once, we were guilty of taking our French opponents lightly in North London, equally criminal was our finishing. The 2nd leg was a truer reflection of the difference in quality between the two sides and if there was another 5 mins left, I think we would have completed a famous fightback. If only we could have played like that two week earlier
2016-
1st leg – Arsenal 0-2 Barcelona
2nd leg – Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal
Unlike previous ties with Barcelona, this time the Gunners never threatened an upset by getting a result at the Emirates. Never playing like we believed it was likely, we simply were holding on till the visitors broke the deadlock.
Compared to the years before we never threatened a comeback in the second leg
2017
1st leg -Bayern Munich 5-1
2nd leg – 1-5
Perhaps our darkest day of the Emirates era? A 10- 2 aggregate scoreline to a side we were promised we would be competing with if we knocked down Highbury. Alexis Sanchez had the nerve to be laughing on the bench during the humiliation. This would be Mr Wenger’s final Champions League fixtures.
So, 10 times in the history of CL we have lost our first leg of a knockout tie. Only once have we turned that tie around in the 2nd leg.
One in Ten!
Although that was against Porto
Dan
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The law of average dictates ,our champions league records after losing the first leg will change sooner rather than later.
So i didn’t lose a minute sleep last night as a result of our dismal champions league records
@Gunsmoke
Exactly. What has happened before, has zero bearing on what’s about to happen. Jus sayin
Real talk top Gunner
True. If any team has history of not winning champions league then will that team never win the competition just because they dont have history of doing it. Mancity never won it before last year. So history is there to be broken and 16 yr ago Arsenal cant be compared with this Arsenal team by any means. These are just two different team having same name. So, only time will tell but I am feeling confident that we can get past this stage this time around.
Arteta bad record in knockout stage is more of a worrying thing than these stats who do not concern the current crop.
As a stat nerd i do appreciate the info though l
The history doesn’t look good for our luck tonight, but I feel that our home supporters are more excited than they were in the last decade
I believe their supports and our set-piece luck can make us proceed to the next UCL stage
I still consider winning UCL will be more probable than winning EPL this season. Arsenal still have two big London derbies and two extremely tough away games in Manchester, whereas Liverpool and Man City just have to play against two big teams
Its like every game now is a big game and every game is like a final against a very strong team. Lose one and go home.
My major fear is Arteta’s lack of experience in UCL and so good at Europa knock out stage. We often struggle against low block Porto may simply come to play for a draw they have better records and experience than our players. However, Emirate stadium have been a place solace for our team and only lost twice there this season. I think Trossard would be bullied at the left wing.
#I mean not so good at Europa knock out stages.
That’s a whole new team so I don’t think that’s that important.
BUT
that doesn’t mean I am confident. Those players have to learn the champions league. It’s never won by new team of young players, quite the contrary.
You could see how stressed players was at Porto, we didn’t played our game at all, so many small mistakes. And I don’t think it will be that different tonight (but the supporter will help for sure).
The good news in all of this is our last game. Winning in a difficult game like that will give them a boost in confidence, that they have time to win it.
It’s a Matchday! Yes it is!! COYG!!!
A very entertaining 4 nil , with a certain player getting a brace.
A certain big player?
Well, I dare not say it here and you of all persons knows why.
Saka’s 15/2 to score two or more.
History, records etc all come to nothing because the world is not static. It is dynamic. There is always a beginning for something. Had Man City ever won Champions league before last year? Besides, in majority of quoted games we always won the second round albeit with a narrower margin. In this case if we win 2-1 we are through. However, I see us winning this game by a bigger margin, perhaps 3-1 or even 4-1. Let us take heart.
Correct me if I am wrong, but to add further bad news, I think MA has NEVER won a European knockout game at the Emirates. Scary stuff!
Surely that record has to go at some point, and the timing couldn’t be better given our form.
I still make Porto slight favourites, but it’s a tie we’re playing well enough to win.
Slight favourites !
Arsenal 1-5 on
Porto 11-1
If I were neutral I’d take Porto at that price.
I am always disappointed when I read , depressingly so, the fallacy of thinking what happened in the long ago(long ago in football terms that is) has even the SLIGHTEST influence on what is likely to happen NOW!
I CRAVE INTELLIGENT DEBATE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE INTELLECT TO KNOW THE TRUTH OF THAT STATEMENT.
Sadly, this article fails to meet those intelligent levels of debate and so I will not be discussing it further!!
Why discuss it at all if it is below your intellectual level??
Stay in your ivory tower and just look down on us mere mortals….
I’ll tell both you and insulting KEN below you too WHY, Mr Censor!
Because it is important to inform to those who are perhaps new or newish onJA that whenever DS writes a piece about MA, it is ALWAYS negative Of late he has not wriiten much at all ,as Sue points out on another JA thread. He has ben busy working and thats fair enough, but also means SOME ON HERE, whom I presume you also think have a right to know, will now know about DS ‘s relentless anti MA agenda.
KEN spends much of his time on JA defending what he perceives as anti AW “slurs”.
I prefer defending our CURRENT manager, as he , not AW, is in charge and doing rather well, as we are top of the Prem.
PERHAPS you NOW understand why and will therefore refrain from asking daft pointless questions another time.
Actually he was also ill for a whe. BUT just because you are totally anti anything Dan writes just because it’s him and he has a different opinion to you.
I think I will also warn new readers that you inparticular can be extremely obnoxious if anyone disagrees with you. Is that fair?
I would have added a bully also 👍
No Its a lie and untrue as you well know !
I am NOT against everything DAN writes as you know very well, though you deliberately choose NOT to mention the many times I praise his articles,those which are not about MA.
It is mainLy the ones that unfairly and viciously attack a manager who has us top of the league, thus making DA look ridiculous, that I, and with good reason combat his silly anti MA vendetta.
You dont do BALANCE, esp in your deliberate falsehoods about me, as I note with NO surprise PAT. SIGH!
I’d ask you a question or two Jon, but as your intellect doesn’t include answering any put to you, I won’t bother.
Sitting at Cockfosters Tube station having a coffee and there is already red and white around the place.
GAI, I’m as excited and positive as I was every time I went to watch The Arsenal in the CL – why would it be otherwise?
Ken I will put your pathetic personal insult to me to one side.
The reason I sometimes do not answer your question is that most of them have been asked by you several times before and been answered by me.
But you REFUSE to accept my answers and constantly try a slightly different way of asking the SAME QUESTION, while seemingly, hoping and even expecting a DIFFERENT answer.
But I easily see through that amateur style tactic and refuse to fall into your “trap”.
Who the hell thought that was a good name for a station 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
2007/08
Arsenal 0 – 0 AC Milan 1st Leg at the Emirates
AC Milan 0 – 2 Arsenal 2nd Leg at San Siro
Sorry… lost first leg away from home. Didn’t Dan mention that?