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MOTD: AS Monaco 0-2 Arsenal (3-3 agg)

By on March 17, 2015

The tie had already been deemed a forgone conclusion, but such was the valiance of Arsenal, a “miracle in Monaco” looked, for a short time, more than possible. Only the width of a post denied Arsenal a historic 0-3 result and 4-3 aggregate victory in their Champions League tie with Monaco. Indeed, after ninety minutes of such promise from Arsenal, many Gunners will find it hard to criticize their side. On the night, Arsenal couldn’t have done much more — they gave it everything they had, but everything wasn’t enough, such was the mountain they left for themselves. It was a tale of two legs.

While he result was as many had predicted — Arsenal were so shambolic in the first leg they ultimately couldn’t recover — the story couldn’t have been carved any differently. When the whistle finally blew after five minutes of stoppage time tonight, Arsene Wenger could still be proud of his men. The crossbar, the underside of Aymen Abdennour’s leg, and on many more occasions, Daniel Subasic denied Arsenal an aggregate winner. It was amazing how this same Arsenal team could’ve lost by such heavy margins at the Emirates. They’ve only got themselves to blame for the situation, but at the same time, cannot help but feel as if fate still has more to repay them.

A tentative start — neither side willing to give a potentially deciding goal away — teased of more trauma and blame for Arsenal, yet once seeming to recognize the situation, Wenger’s men began to pile forward. First Olivier Giroud began to look bright, sending Hector Bellerin’s cross inches wide of the far post with a glancing header. It was, though, the most unlikely of subjects to spark Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny struck the crossbar after Mesut Ozil’s crossed free-kick deflected down onto a silver platter for the Frenchman, not five yards from the goalmouth. What if Koscielny had scored? It’s unfair to Arsenal’s performance to begin to pick it apart for potential missed opportunities, but nonetheless, this chance went begging.

Then the Gunners began to put serious strain on the backbone of Monaco, and thirty-six minutes in an opener came to restore hope for Arsenal. Danny Welbeck slipped Giroud in down the left side of the box, and although Subasic was quick of his line to deny Giroud’s original effort, was unlucky to see the ball trickle free for Giroud to smash into the roof of the open net. Moments later Welbeck’s low volley from the edge of the box was blocked on the line by Abdennour, and with the last kick of the half Welbeck tested Subasic from a tight angle.

By the start of the second half Arsenal began to really go for it. Alexis Sanchez, who began to drop deeper to turn Arsenal’s possession to penetration, saw his curling free-kick tipped just over the crossbar by Subasic, and while Monaco held out for a time — on multiple occasions were found with all eleven defenders in their own defensive third — substitute Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a key second after Theo Walcott’s shot from Nacho Monreal’s low cross rebounded into the box off the post. The Welshman created room for a shot with a little shimmy, before dragging a daisy-cutter into the bottom-left corner.

The face of the game thus changed completely. No longer was a comeback in Arsenal’s far off dreams, they were one goal away from advancing to the Quarterfinals. A frenetic finale ensued, and Subasic performed heroics with an incredible reaction save from Sanchez’s far post header late on. If any miracle was possible Arsenal had it in them, but indeed, it proved impossible.
Man of the Match: Danny Welbeck

Homepage photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald on Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.