Match Report: Arsenal withstand Italian heat to overcome Udinese

Udinese 1-2 Arsenal
UEFA Champions League playoff round second leg
Arsenal go through 3-1 on aggregate

by Theo Fan

With the dust of Cesc Fabregas’ recent exit still settling, Arsenal travelled to North Eastern Italy and the Stadio Friuli to take on Udinese Calcio in a crucial second leg of their Champions League qualifier. With all the turmoil currently surrounding the London club it’s hard to believe this was only their fourth competitive game of the season.

Since their 1-0 victory in the first leg just over a week ago Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool, a game in which promising young midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong made an early exit, the Gunners’ second red card in two disappointing Premier League games. To compound the poor start Arsenal added star midfielder Samir Nasri to their outgoing list as the Frenchman completed a £24million switch to Manchester City.

By contrast, Arsenal’s opponents had a much easier time in the build-up to what many of the 27,000 Udinese fans packed inside the Stadio Friuli considered to be the biggest game the club has ever played in. With the Italian side yet to get underway in Serie A they had the luxury of a break since the first leg and, in the warmer climes of Udine, both teams’ fitness levels were well and truly put to the test.

With so much at stake for both sides a tentative start was what many expected but straight from the off the pace was unbelievably intense. Udinese looked to have learnt, from their first half performance at the Emirates, that sitting deep and trying to steal possession in midfield was not the best policy and immediately poured numbers forward in search of an opening and equalising goal. The travelling Arsenal side responded in kind setting off an opening 20 minutes that defined the phrase end-to-end.

On eight minutes the noise levels inside the ground erupted as Antonio Di Natale, who had looked dangerous in the first leg, fired past Wojciech Szczesny only to see the linesman’s flag strike his goal from record for offside and cut short the celebrations. As an open first half continued it was the home side that looked the more threatening despite Arsenal’s usual dominance of possession. On 22 minutes Di Natale came close once again, this time Szczesny’s post coming to the Gunners rescue instead of the linesman.

At the half hour mark Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic recreated his heroics that saw Theo Walcott denied late on in the first leg with a fantastic double save to prevent Arsenal snatching a precious away goal advantage. Incredibly the tempo had barely slackened with half time approaching and the combination of pace and Udinese’s relentless search for the opener began to make one or two of the Arsenal players look more than eager to hear the referee’s whistle.

Perhaps it was thoughts of a half time respite that was to blame for Arsenal’s failure to close down their opponents as well as the Italian side had closed them down but whatever the cause it soon cost them dearly. Udinese skipper Di Natale sent a looping header over Szczesny that had the young Polish keeper stranded and levelled the aggregate score at 1 – 1, erasing Arsenal’s slim first leg advantage and sending the Italian crowd into a frenzy. A difficult half time team talk was probably the least of Arsene Wenger’s concerns.

With the threat of failing to qualify for the first time in 14 years looming larger than ever the Gunners’ new captain Robin van Persie stepped up to answer the prayers of Arsenal fans everywhere. Connecting crisply with a cut-back ball across the six yard box from Gervinho the Dutchman’s shot flew past Handanovic and gave Arsenal the away goal they had been desperate to find and restored their narrow lead in the tie.

Just as the tension on Arsene Wenger’s men had been eased however, referee Olegario Benquerenca and his fifth official awarded Udinese a penalty for an almost imperceptible handball from Thomas Vermaelen. Up stepped danger man Di Natale to deliver a spot kick that would have had the beating of most goalkeepers but, thanks to a staggering save, not Szczesny.

Having dodged another Di Natale bullet Arsenal looked to seal the tie for good and with little over 20 minutes remaining Walcott did just that. After a neat little one-two with Bacary Sagna on the half way line the Gunners’ pace man left the Udinese defence for dead before producing a finish cool enough to silence those who question his ability in front of goal.

Having once again qualified for the Champions League will Arsenal’s performance on the continent be enough to quiet their critics? Not likely. Having secured the lucrative cash injection that comes with a place in Europe’s most prestigious competition will the club now look to make the marquee signings the fans so desperately crave? Only time will tell.

Whatever happens, Arsenal can at least take pride in having performed well under extremely difficult circumstances with little more than a make-shift squad. Having got the job done by overcoming Udinese all eyes will now be on the draw for the Champions League proper, but that will only provide fleeting distraction from the ongoing drama at the Emirates.

Theo Fan is a contributor to Just Football and can be found on Twitter @TheFootball_Fan

Antonio Di Natale, Arsenal, Champions League, Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, Udinese, Wojciech Szczesny