Arsenal have been one of the most consistent teams in the Champions League since they first qualified for the competition back in the 1998/99 but which games stand out as the best the Gunners have experienced during this time?
Inter Milan 1-5 Arsenal, 25th November, 2003
Arsenal were veterans of Champions League football by the time they needed to travel to Inter Milan’s home stadium of the San Siro in order to keep their competition dreams alive. It was the first season that the Champions League would go from a first group stage to a straight knockout tournament process after dropping the second group stage phase.
The Gunners were without inspirational central midfielder Patrick Vieira and they were facing an Inter side that included world class talent such as Javier Zanetti, Fabio Cannavaro, and Christian Vieri. The odds were firmly stacked against Arsene Wenger’s men to even get a point, let alone a win.
What was to follow was nothing short of mesmerizing. Thierry Henry gave Arsenal a 1-0 lead on 25 minutes before his opener was cancelled out by Vieri just 7 minutes later. Frederik Ljungberg restored the away side’s lead just after half time. Then the final 5 minutes saw Henry, Edu, and Robert Pires all add goals to the scoreline to give Arsenal a convincing victory.
This match has been credited with helping to attract interest in the Champions League for sports betting punters. It was a result that showed that no matter how much the odds are priced against one side there is always a chance of the unexpected.
The Champions League has proved to be one of the most popular sports betting markets ever since and underdogs in the competition have looked back at this Arsenal result as inspiration for some of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history. In terms of online sports betting, football is probably the dominant force in the UK (with loads of choice for British punters). With all of the matches in this article, you can be sure huge amounts of money were won and lost!
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal, 21st February, 2006
This Champions League campaign will be remembered as Arsenal’s most successful in the competition to date but the one match that stands out during this season’s trail was the unthinkable win at the Bernabeu in the 1st Knockout Phase 1st leg.
Real Madrid boasted such illustrious names as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and Iker Casillas but on the night it was Wenger’s side that prevailed as the 1-0 winners. A single goal from Henry on 47 minutes was enough to grab the win.
Arsenal followed the first leg performance up with a battling 0-0 draw at home to the La Liga side to see them progress to the Quarter Finals. It would deny the Galacticos their chance to fulfil their potential and gave players like Emmanuel Eboue, Philippe Senderos, and Jose Antonio Reyes their time in the limelight.
Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal, 17th May, 2006
This might not be remembered as one of the best performances by Arsenal in Europe but it will long be remembered as a culmination of what was ultimately a superb Champions League campaign played by the Gunners that season.
Sol Campbell gave Arsenal a lead with a header in the first half and, as the clock ticked down, it looked like the Gunners would celebrate leaving Highbury by winning European football’s most coveted trophy.
In the 76th minute, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o made it 1-1and then just 5 minutes later defender Juliano Belletti scored what would prove to be the decisive winning goal to deliver heartbreak to Arsenal fans. Their side had not played at their best but it had still been a dream that was so cruelly snatched away from them at the death and despite all the pain, the memory of a Champions League final will be hard to beat.
Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona, 16th February, 2011
It was another dominant La Liga side that would feel the destructive power of Arsenal’s full potential in the 2010/2011 Champions League competition when Barcelona fell to a 2-1 defeat to the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.
Barcelona possessed some incredible footballers such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and Gerard Pique. Barcelona had led through a David Villa goal on 26 minutes but the tie was turned on its head when Robin Van Persie netted in the 78th minute and Andrei Arshavin snatched a winner in the 83rd minute. The win gave the Gunners hope that they could knock out the favourites and clear a pathway to the final.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. Barcelona comfortably ran out as 3-1 winners at the Nou Camp.The Spanish side would go on to lift the Champions League trophy that season with a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Wembley but the first leg win would be a season highlight for Gunners fans.
Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich, 20th October, 2015
Having qualified for the second phase of the Champions League for the previous 15 seasons, the pressure was on Wenger’s men to carry on that record. After two defeats in their opening two group games to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos, the Gunners required something against pre-tournament favourites Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium to remain in the competition.
Bayern Munich fielded a strong side that included Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, Arturo Vidal, and Thomas Muller. They dominated the statistics with 69% possession compared to Arsenal’s 31% but suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to give the Gunners hope of qualifying for the knockout phase.
It was far from the most convincing Arsenal performance but was the epitome of a smash and grab effort. Their 13 attempts on goal compared to Bayern’s 22 showed that they did not necessarily deserve to win but they got the goals through Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil that mattered.