Arsenal have it all to do in their UEFA Champions
League last-16 tie with Monaco as they succumbed
to a 3-1 defeat on Wednesday.
Arsene Wenger endured a miserable reunion
against former club Monaco as the Ligue 1
side secured a deserved 3-1 first-leg lead in
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions
League last-16 tie at the Emirates Stadium.
Wenger, who won the French title and the Coupe de
France in a seven-year spell at Monaco, saw his
current charges put to the sword as Yannick
Ferreira-Carrasco’s late strike put Arsenal on the
brink of elimination.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had given the hosts hope
when he curled home a strike deep into stoppage
time to make it 2-1, but fellow substitute Ferreira-
Carrasco restored Monaco’s two-goal lead on a
dark outing for Wenger’s men.
Having survived an early Arsenal onslaught in the
sides’ first competitive meeting, Monaco led at the
break thanks to Geoffrey Kondogbia’s rather
fortuitous strike, which deflected in off Per
Mertesacker.
Leonardo Jardim’s men doubled their advantage
seven minutes after the interval as former
Tottenham striker Berbatov finished off a swift
break to put the visitors well in control.
Oxlade-Chamberlain looked to have had the final
say when he pulled one back with an impressive
strike, but Monaco, missing Jeremy Toulalan,
Ricardo Carvalho and Layvin Kurzawa from the
starting XI, were not finished.
Ferreira-Carrasco’s 94th-minute goal deepened
Arsenal’s woes further and leaves Wenger’s side in
need of a minor miracle at the Stade Louis II in
three weeks’ time, with their limp attacking display
pointing to a fifth consecutive last-16 exit.
Monaco conceded just once as they topped Group
C, but were under pressure early on as Danny
Welbeck was among those to threaten Danijel
Subasic’s goal with an effort that was narrowly off
target.
The Bulgarian made no mistake in giving Monaco a
two-goal lead – much to the home fans’
consternation – as Wenger’s men continued to
waste chances, with Sanchez’s effort saved by
Subasic before Olivier Giroud fired over with the
goal at his mercy.
Subasic saved well from substitute Theo Walcott
after the hour and Welbeck’s follow-up deflected off
the England international before Oxlade-
Chamberlain curled home a loose ball.
If Arsenal thought they had grabbed hold of a
lifeline, it was quickly ripped from their grasp
as Ferreira-Carrasco raced away to fire past
Ospina and put the visitors in the driving seat ahead
of next month’s return meeting
posted from Bloggeroid
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