By Walter Broeckx
Some early nerves with some of the younger players. Macey with a bad kick on a back pass but Holding rescues by making a great block to stop the forward going to the keeper. Elneny with important block on a cross a bit later as Red Star tries to counter the possession play from Arsenal.
Maitland Niles crosses to Giroud but keeper saves from close range. After 15 minute a foul on Giroud followed by a few corners for Arsenal but no real goal danger.
Giroud on the flank but his cross is half blocked and the keeper can claim the low cross in front of Walcott.
The Red Star captain going down twice holding his knee within minutes tempo in the match very low now. Red Star trying to play the counter and defending in numbers. The Arsenal passing not accurate enough.
Coquelin with a good interception and a counter for Arsenal but his final pass didn’t find an Arsenal player. Willock with a good interception plays it to Giroud but the onrushing keeper blocks the effort, Red Star immediately counters and have a shot but Macey pushes it over. The Red Star keeper got the ball in a rather unfortunate place and needs some attention. The corner is given and a shot is half blocked and finds a Red Star attacker who tries to head it over Macey but he can push it against the crossbar with his fingertips. Great save.
Wilshere manages to find Maitland Niles but his cross goes over. Elneny to Walcott but his cut back to Giroud is cut out. Coquelin slips and goes down and Red Star can counter but the shot goes well wide. Ref allows play to continue when Willock gets a knee to the wrong ball(s). He stopped play each time a Red Star player went down… A foul and even a yellow card might have been given. No goals in the first half. The passing too slow and to imprecise.
Giroud with a shot from distance but a good two meters over the goal. Nelson with a good run but he is stopped at the edge of the penalty area with a strong challenge. Red Star with a dangerous cross but the striker who missed the ball was offside anyway.
Wilshere being tripped in the penalty area with the replay showing clearly that the defender hit Wilshere with his knee but no penalty given. Another appeal minutes later when the defender touches it with his arm but nothing given. I can live with the second not given penalty, the first was a foul.
Wilshere on the left flank cuts inside, Willock wins the duel and Wilshere is there to take the ball and lobs the keeper but Le Tallec manages to clear it from going in just before the goal line. Red Star seemingly happy to get the draw and mostly defending in big numbers. Nketiah comes on for Willock. Holding gets a yellow card for a leading arm when he heads the ball. Giroud is being penalised for winning a header…. oh well…
Wilshere to Walcott who came in front of his marker but he heads it wide. Debuchy is fouled but the ref ignored it and so Boakye gets a chance but shoots wide. Red Star wasting lots of time with faked injuries and substitutions that take ages.
In the last minute Arsenal attack and the Nketiah heads it to Giroud who pushes it to Coquelin but he scoffed his shot. No score after 90 minutes but the most important thing is that because of Köln winning against Bate Borisov 5-2 we are certain of qualification to the knock out stages.
As Red Star and Bate Borisov play each other both teams cannot take us over any more. One more point needed to be certain of being top of the group. And if there is no winner in the match Bate – Red Star next time we are top of the group even if we would lose our last two matches.
Great that we are certain of qualification. Interesting that Red Star had the same defensive and delaying tactics as English teams use against us, and the ref was biased as well.
Thanks Walter.
The 4th official called for 4 minutes of time added on in the second half, 5 were given. Which is fine. I think all the substitutions were in the second half.
Why was there 4 minutes added on in the first half? No substitutions, and I don’t think there were injuries.
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Speaking of injuries, the Everton player was taken to hospital. At some point, he became conscious and said he a sore neck. I believe he has been released.
Humour: Evra thinks he is Cantona
> Marseille defender Patrice Evra was sent off after launching a karate-style kick at one of his team’s own supporters before Thursday’s Europa League match against Vitoria Guimaraes.
Is this some former Arsenal supporter, who moved to Marseille and is trying to “support” his team?
Hey, need an example?
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/65394#comment-931514
He starts with “Dreadful game”.
Matt Macey is having his UEFA debut, and he can’t say anything about how Macey did.
Debuchy according to reports, would like to leave Arsenal to find more consistent appearances elsewhere. He can’t say anything about how Debuchy played.
Please, if you can’t support Arsenal, please don’t use IDs like “Gooner in Exile”. You are just a sad sack.
More on Sad Sack
A few hours later, we see a report from Martin Keown (who rags on Arsenal far more often than I would like):
> Martin Keown says Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has a unique brilliance
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/657201/Martin-Keown-says-Arsenal-star-Jack-Wilshere-has-a-unique-brilliance
Keown at least has something nice to say about the game. And he doesn’t start his article with “Dreadful game”.
Some of this article is about Wilshere and the England team. I don’t understand gamesmanship, but I wonder if maybe Jack Wilshere should announce his retirement from International Football.
If Jack Wilshere starting and playing 90 minutes in UEFA competition is not adequate indication that he is capable of playing to England management, maybe Jack should regard England management is being incompetent (just like PGMO and FA discipline) and retire from International play?
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The Sun has an article on some of Arsenal’s young player in this game.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4831811/arsenal-youngsters-red-star-belgrade/
Not all positive, but at least recognized that the game means more than 0-0. Unlike Exiled-Bonehead.
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And I hadn’t even gotten to looking at the pictureless (for non-members on Linux) Arsenal.com about the game. Surely Wenger must be done his interviews by now? 🙂
Wenger has an interview article specifically about Macey. Lead comment:
> Matt Macey kept a clean sheet as he made his European debut on Thursday night, and the boss was full of praise for the six foot seven goalkeeper.
An article on Joe Willock and another on Jack Wilshere. Maybe other articles come out in the next couple of days. All good news.
Hardly the “dreadful” of some Sad Sack.
News about Santi.
The Daily Mail (and hope to grope and flail) has an article about Santi Cazorla.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5045013/Arsenal-star-Santi-Cazorla-lost-foot-gangrene.html
This is supposedly a comment on an article to be published (it is not published as I post this) at Marca. Or if it is at Marca, it isn’t on the English side.
Doom and gloom. Oh, we were thinking of amputating his leg and so on. Typical media CRAP.
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The lack of Arsenal goals in this game, is not a reason to rag on the team. Moaninho likes to park the bus! Lots of other managers like to park the bus! If an opponent parks the bus you may not score. That is why some managers choose to park the bus.
But for the medja, it is an Arsenal failing. Every other EPL team could find a way to score. It is only Arsenal that can fail. Blah, blah, blah…
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The headlines are not all CRAP, but to find good headlines inside the UK is hard.
They all want Arsenal to fail. Constantly and forever.
Hi Gord, the expression ”sad sack’ I don’t know this expression. I presume it refers to someone who either complains all the time or is never happy. What is the source of the expression? Many hanks.
At 6 foot seven inches, Matt Macey must be closed to being a giant goalkeeper for Arsenal worthy of holding on to by Arsenal and develop him for the first team use in the very near future and will not have to resort to signing a top goalkeeper to replace Petr Cech when he retired from Arsenal at a costly transfer fee.
Notwithstanding Matt Macey not conceding any goal against Crvena Zvezda yesterday at the Ems, I must say I was disappointed with the lackluster performance in front of Crevna Zvezda’s goal by some Arsenal team 2 players last night as Giroud and Walcott who called themselves senior striking Gunners failed to register a goal for Arsenal with the numerous chances they had in front of goal in the game to score. What is there are problem? Are they still learning the art of composure before shooting in front of the opponent team goalmouth or what?
Well, as all accusing fingers have pointed to these duo for their complicity in seeing to Arsenal winning run in all competitions came to an end yesterday night at the Ems, I think Olivier Giroud and Theo’ Walcott have unreserved apology to tender to us the Gooners for their woeful performance in front of Crevna Zvezda’s goal yesterday which we did not bargain for.
Okay, despite Arsenal have qualified for the knockout stages of the ELC competition this season, this Arsenal team 2 still have the chance to redeem their somehow faded image of yesterday night as there are still 2 ELC first round matches left for them to play and also likely some FA Cup matches to play if Arsenal get lower opposition teams to play against after which Le Prof will disband the Arsenal team 2 in this season’s campaign. As for the Arsenal vs West Hammers in the Carabao Cup quaterfinal match at the Ems in December, the match is for Arsenal team 1 to play and not Arsenal team 2. Although some of the senior Gunners in Arsenal team 2 will continue to be on the bench for substitution role in Arsenal team 1 games. And if any of the Arsenal team 2 player improved considerably on his performances for Arsenal in the remaining 2 ELC first round games and in the FA Cup matches against the lower opposition teams, he could be promoted to Arsenal team 1. The reverse case will happen to any current Arsenal team 1 player who if he became lacklustered in games for Arsenal, he’ll could get demoted to Arsenal team 2. .