Da Silva´s late show forces Arsenal to settle for a point

October 21, 2009

Arsenal were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar in Tuesday’s Champions League clash as the Dutch champions snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

Arsene Wenger’s side were within seconds of securing their third successive Group H victory after Cesc Fabregas’s first half goal.

But David Mendes Da Silva punished the Gunners for a lacklustre second half display when he struck deep into stoppage time at the DSB Stadium.

Wenger had already claimed he wouldn’t pause to celebrate his 60th birthday on Thursday and the French coach has even less reason to break out the party hats now.

The north Londoners are still firmly on course for the knockout stages, but they have more work to do before they can be sure of finishing as group winners.

Wenger once again opted to keep faith with young Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone ahead of Manuel Almunia, but the Gunners boss was without injured wingers Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky.

Although AZ boasted an impressive European home record of just one defeat in 34 home matches, Arsenal arrived in Holland on a high after seven successive wins in all competitions.

In stark contrast, Ronald Koeman’s Dutch champions, who had taken just one point from their first two group matches, were reeling from the news that the club’s owner Dirk Scheringa had been declared bankrupt on Monday.

Koeman could take heart from a famous Champions League win over Arsenal when he was in charge at PSV Eindhoven two years ago.

But it was Arsenal who made the early running. Robin van Persie had scored five goals in his previous six games and should have added to that tally in the ninth minute from Abou Diaby’s cross.

Van Persie’s finish didn’t match the quality of the incisive attack though and he shot straight at Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

AZ created their first threat when Moussa Dembele fed Mounir El Hamdaoui on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but his shot didn’t test Mannone.

After a period of stalemate as both sides struggled to find their rhythm, Arsenal were gifted the lead in the 36th minute.

Niklas Moisander’s careless control allowed Andrey Arshavin to play in van Persie down the left side of AZ’s penalty area. Van Persie picked out Fabregas and the Arsenal captain dispatched a cool strike past Romero for his fifth goal of the season.

Romero almost presented Arsenal with a second goal before half-time when he allowed van Persie’s long-range effort to skim off his gloves and just past a post.

There was little repeat of that flurry of goalmouth action in the second half as Arsenal settled for keeping possession without ever really promising a second goal.

Van Persie forced Romero to make a fine save from a low free-kick but AZ gradually began to realise there was little to fear from Arsenal in this mood and they poured forward in the closing stages.

Diaby almost deflected a cross into his own net as the Gunners began to creak, then Hector Moreno squandered a glorious chance to equalise.

Moreno had the goal at his mercy from no more than six yards, only to head wide via a team-mate’s leg.

Arsenal appealed in vain for a penalty when Kew Jaliens got in a tangle and appeared to foul substitute Carlos Vela.

But they were made to pay for their lethargic performance in the third minute of stoppage time.

Arsenal’s defence stood statuesque as Graziano Pelle flicked on a high ball towards Da Silva, who was perfectly placed to lash a volley past Mannone and end Arsenal’s winning run.

ALKMAAR, Netherlands (AFP)

Tags: 60th birthday, abou diaby, Argentine, arsene wenger, Carlos Vela, cesc fabregas, David Mendes, david mendes da silva, Dirk Scheringa, DSB Stadium, dutch champions, Eindhoven, french coach, group winners, gunners, hector, Holland, home matches, knockout stages, last gasp, Manuel Almunia, mendes da silva, mounir el hamdaoui, netherlands, Niklas Moisander, north Londoners, party hats, robin van persie, ronald koeman, Sergio Romero, stoppage time, theo walcott, tomas rosicky, Van Persie, Vito Mannone

Argentina scrape into World Cup finals

October 15, 2009

Argentina scraped into the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Uruguay as Diego Maradona finally celebrated mission accomplished after a stumbling, lacklustre qualifying campaign.

The two-time champions needed a goal by substitute Mario Bolatti on Wednesday six minutes from time to earn the three points and secure the fourth and final qualifying spot from South America.

Brazil, Chile and Paraguay had already made sure of their places in the finals.

Uruguay finished in fifth and face a play-off against either Costa Rica or Honduras from the CONCACAF region to decide their World Cup fate.

In a poor match with few opportunities, the crucial moment here came when Uruguay were reduced to 10 men when Jose Martin Caceras was red-carded for a foul on Jonas Gutierrez.

From the ensuing free-kick, Juan Veron had a shot charged down, but Bolatti, on the field for just four minutes after replacing Gonzalo Higuain, reacted quickest to the loose ball to beat Nestor Muslera in the Uruguayan goal.

Maradona, who had used over 70 players since taking over a year ago, opted to leave Carlos Tevez on the bench alongside Martin Palermo, who grabbed the last-minute goal which saw off Peru on Saturday.

Uruguay, needing a win to make sure of automatic qualification, were on top early with Argentina unsurprisingly nervous and defender Gabriel Heinze picking up a booking after just nine minutes.

Andres Scotti almost gave the home side the lead at the famous Estadio Monumental, but his header slipped by Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero’s post.

Lionel Messi, who has yet to shine under the Maradona regime despite his scene-stealing performances for Barcelona, attempted to catch out Muslera with a long distance free-kick.

The gusting win inside the stadium kept Muslera on his guard, but he gathered comfortably as Argentina desperately looked for their first win since 1976 in the Uruguayan capital.

The goalless half-time stalemate suited Argentina as Ecuador, the only other rivals for the last qualifying spot, were also being held 0-0 at the interval by Chile in Santiago.

The low-quality affair continued after the break with the first opening not coming until the 73rd minute when Diego Lugano headed wide from a pinpoint Diego Forlan free-kick.

Uruguay continued to press against an Argentine team happy to pack seven defenders behind the ball as the clock ticked down before Bolatti, in just his third international, put his country into the finals.

In Santiago, Chile took the lead against Ecuador thanks to a 51st-minute strike from Humberto Suazo.

Ecuador, who had Segundo Castilla sent-off, needed to win to keep their qualifying hopes alive.

Brazil were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Venezuela and they too finished with 10 men after Sao Paulo defender Miranda was red-carded.

Rock-bottom Peru completed their programme with a 1-0 win over Bolivia, who had defeated Brazil at the weekend, thanks to a second-half strike from Johan Fano.

It was Bolivia’s 38th qualifier away from their high-altitude fortress of La Paz without a win.

Fano, meanwhile, was later sent-off.

MONTEVIDEO (AFP)