Blog

Preamble:
This tie has got a bigger build-up than the impending royal wedding and, happily, cannot fail to be more interesting than that (but ooooh, what will Nicklas Bendtner wear?). Arsenal's task, of course, is to ensure that it is a good deal more closely contested than the last joust between the pair, which was as one-sided as a dissected frog – Barcelona, lest we forget, completed twice as many passes as Arsenal over the two legs last season and struck three times as many shots on target, leaving 22 tiny footprints on the Gunners' collective backside. Not ones to turn the other cheek Arsenal seek revenge and look better equipped than last season – the fitness of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas' is a huge factor in their favour since then, as is the emergence of Jack Wilshere and the progressions of Theo Walcott and Johan Djourou. If they actually get the ball Arsenal could do serious damage, especially with Eric Abidal in centre of Barca's defence instead of Puyol and Maxwell unlikely to cope with Walcott's speed. Unfortunately I do not have a font big enough to properly represent the size of that 'if' ...

Teams:
Arsenal: Szczesny; Eboue, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott; Van Persie
Subs: Almunia, Roicky, Denilson, Squillaci, Arshavin, Gibbs, Bendtner

Barcelona: Valdes; D Alves, Pique, Abidal, Maxwell; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa
Subs: Jose Pinto, Bojan, The Argentinian Card-Magnet, Keita, Milito, Afellay, Adriano

Referee: N Rizzoli (Italy)

7:15pm: "It's the middle of the working day here in New York so I have to wait until I get home tonight to see a rebroadcast of this game," foghorns Daniel Barron. "Could you do me a favour and leave out the goals, red cards, serious injuries, head butts etc so as not to spoil it for me?" If it's purely boring commentary you want, I'm your man.

Predictions: I wouldn't be shocked if Arsenal won but reckon that to do so they will need to score more than once because they won't keep a clean sheet. They may also struggle to keep 11 players on the pitch, with Song, Fabregas or Wilshere the most likely to get sent off for desperate attempts to stop blue-and-purple imps flitting past them. All in all I'm going for 3-2 Arsenal but am not prepared to put any money on that. How about you?

7:25pm: "It's the middle of the working day here in New York so I'm going to ignore my paymasters and piss off to the bar to watch this game live," drools Ian Brunsdon. "What the hell does Daniel Barron do that's so important? I work in Kings County ER and I'm not missing this for all the gun shot wounds and broken limbs in Brooklyn." Wouldn't it be a rum thing if you got maimed in a fight in that bar?

7:27pm: "Everybody's talking about how Arsenal are stronger than last year with some justification, but on the other side of the coin it's worth noting that Barcelona have since acquired probably the best striker in the world and also have Ballon d'Or runner-up Iniesta fit this year, unlike last," hollers Nicholas Einhorn, who's forgetting that Arsenal have Koscielny and Djourour to contain Villa. Oh.

7:30pm: ITV has just shown footage of Messi warming up ... and as he attempted to control the ball with his instep, it instead whacked him in the swingers. What can that portend?

Atmosphere update: It seems Arsenal have provided all of their fans with little red and white flag, which are now being fluttered with twee gusto. As my colleague Gregg Roughley points out, "it's all very Last Night of the Proms".

Complacent Catalans? "Hi London, we'll be back for the final!" declares one bold banner in the Barca section.

1 min: Action! Villa and Messi take the kick-off and duly complete the first of their thousand passes tonight. "I'm watching it in Seville, and even here local TV are quite happy to bill this as 'probably the best football match in the world'. This in Andalucia, which is not exactly a Barca fanbase," yammers Charles Antaki.

2 min: Ominous start for Arsenal: Barca have monopolised possession so far ...

3 min: Alves sells Pique short with a pass and Van Persie nips in to nick the ball away and gallop down the left ... but the ref brings him back to award Arsenal a freekick. He should have played the advantage. Nasri whips in the freekick and the Barca defence fail to deal with it, but no Arsenal forward can punish them and the ball bounces into Valdes's hands.

5 min: Better from Arsenal! Walcott strikes fear into the heart of Barca's defence by skedaddling straight at them. He has Nasri free to his left but instead pass to Van Persie on the right ... and the pass was inaccurate. The chance dies.

6 min: Splendid save by Valdes after an excellent move by Arsenal! Walcott ducked and dodged his way across the box before feeding Fabregas, who hooked it over the top for Van Persie, who boomed it at goal from close range. Valdes parried superbly. Barcelona then tear down the other end, until Song curtails their counter-attack with cynical chop. A deserved yellow for him.

9 min: After Barca's bold gambit Arsenal have gained the upperhand and are looking brisk and confident, circulating the ball crisply and purposefully when they get it, which is more often than expected. "For some reason, I always focus on the upper-left hand three- letter team name abbreviations on the telecasts (MAD MAN for Real v. Man Utd. was a favorite)," honks TJ in California. "If this turns out to be the delicious fixture that most expect, a certain confectionary company is missing out on an easy product placement: Mmmmm ARS BAR!"

10 min: Fabregas misdirects a pass intended for Nasri. If he'd found his man an Arsenal attack would have been in full flow.

13 min: Excellent interception by Koscielny, who read Barca's intentions and strode out of defence to collect the ball in front of Messi.

15 min: Ohhhhh! Messi misses a sitter! He created it brilliantly, in fairness, cushioning an Iniesta through-ball into the path of Villa and then spinning and dashing for the return pass. With a dainty feint he put Szczesny on his arse but then dinked the ball inches wide from five yards!

17 min: After another long period of Barcelona possession Clichy wins the ball off Dani Alves by Arsenal's corner flag. But the respite is only fleeting as Barcelona quickly regain it and resume their probing. "I have the same fixation as TJ - a propos the letters in the top left corner," confides Bill Chilton. "My favourite was a Liverpool tie when they were playing Lille. The abbreviated Liv vs Lil sounded like an Eastenders old bat deathmatch."

19 min: Szczesny shows he is a member of what Ron Atkinson dubbed the Wide Awake Club by surging off the line to reach a Iniesta pass just before Villa.

21 min: Arsenal are just about keeping Barca at bay with frantic pressing but it's been quite a while since they had the ball in their opponents' half. "Please tell me that TJ in California is TJ Hooker," implores Phil Sawyer. "It would explain his obsession with confectionary. I would imagine the tightness of his belt looks even more uncomfortable nowadays."

23 min: Wilshere clears in extremis after yet another cutting move by Barca ...

24 min: As soon as Arsenal win the ball Barcelona buzz around them, win it back and fly forward. Wilshere was dispossessed mid-way inside his own half just now and within second Messi was meandering into the box and flipping a mercifully tame lob into Szczesny's arms.

25 min: Arsenal go close with another counter-attack and again Walcott's pace was crucial! He skedaddled past his markers and fed Fabregas wide on the right. The captain pulled a fine cross towards Van Persie, who would have had a free header into the net if it weren't for the meddling Abidal, who nodded clear.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Barcelona (Villa 26') As Brian Clough said, it only takes a second to score a goal. A second and a dawdling Arsenal defender in this case. As Djourou and Koscielny pushed out to catch Villa offside, Clichy wasn't in synch. Hence the striker latched on to Messi's throughball and rolled it under the keeper.

28 min: Nasri booked for whingeing.

29 min: Van Persie slashes badly wide from the edge of the box a sweeping Arsenal move in which Wilshere was to the fore. And that came moments after Szczesny saved at the feet of Villa to prevent Barcelona from doubling their lead after they had carved Arsenal apart again.

31 min: Tippy-tappy-tippy-tappy-tippy-tappy .... Barcelona are taunting Arsenal with their passing. Arsenal are being reduced to the role of ghost-hunters as they seek someone to tackle ...

33 min: Koscielny ventures deep into Barcelona territory to rob the ball off Messi and instigate a helter-skelter Arsenal attack that culminates with a Van Persie shot being charged down at the edge of the box. "If Everton drew Godmanchester Rovers in the FA Cup, we'd have Eve vs God in the top left hand corner," bellows Gary Naylor. "A re-match that's been a long time coming."

35 min: Greedy Barcelona are hogging possession. In this week's France Football none other than Marco Van Basten declared that Barcelona would struggle against a team from "the English second division". He didn't specify which team - any ideas? London Welsh, perhaps?

NO GOAL! Again Barca pick their way through Arsenal but this time, after Szczesny saved from Pedro, Messi strayed offside before nodding into the net. Happily for Arsene Wenger the linesman was able to keep tack of the Barcelona forwards movements better than Djourou & Co.

39 min: Some encouraging interplay between Nasri and Fabregas around the Barca box before the latter shanks his cross. "I was impressed by Arsenal's control and patience earlier," announces Will Oliver. "But now they've gone down a goal, it looks like they're going to start kicking the Barca players. Can they play well and ugly at the same time, I wonder." Arsenal do look dangerous on their rare breaks but at this point I'd say they are more likely to get a red card than a goal.

41 min: Nasri tricks his way past Dani Alves down the left but, as ever, is quickly engulfed by other Barca players. Arsenal do manage to retain possession, however, but now with the level of serenity to which they are accustomed. They eventually do forge an opening of sorts, Walcott lashing at goal from 25 yards. But it was easily blocked by Abidal.

Half-time: Well that was breathless, engrossing entertainment. Arsenal need to stage a comeback as improbable as last year's. Barca have been brilliant. "If Oldham came over to the states for a preseason tour and took on the New England Revolution, it'd be Old vs New," belches Daniel Barron. "Fitting, seeing how you were once our colonizers." Me? Not guilty.

Half-time analysis: "For being such a pretty team to watch, Barcelona's kit looks like low-quality toothpaste, or a bar of soap, or a Post-It. Who picks out these colours?" wibbles Seth Sawyers.

"Colonizers? Sounds like a band of renegade robots with a penchant for performing impromptu enemas on their foes." - Phil Sawyer

"Pardon my Spanish, Paul, but seeing as Barcelona are pissing all over Arsenal at their own turf, would it be a too bold statement that this is the finest football team in history? I have rarely seen such a gulf in quality in a latter-stage fixture in the Champions League, ever." - Trygve in Oslo. Well I recall the AC Milan of Boban, Saviecevic, Desailly, etc dismantling Barcelona 4-0 in the final many years ago and that was mighty impressive. Mind you, could Van Basten & Co have done it against an unnamed English second division side?

"In last years Europa League semi-final second leg we could have had FUL vs HAM for Fulham against Hamburg, but no the directorial decision went with FUL vs HSV. Shame." _ Tom O'Dwyer.

46 min: Arsenal get the second half under way. "Hugo Chavez would relish the opportunity to watch friendly match between Chelsea and Maori Park FC as it would be shown on TV as Che vs Mao," whoops Pangeran Siahaan.

47 min: Strong start to the second half by Arsenal, with Wilshere at the hub of everything positive that they do. He has been their best player tonight, showing composure, drive and vision. His snapshot from 20 yards just now, however, did not trouble Valdes.

49 min: Clichy strains to cut out an Iniesta pass intended for Pedro. Smart work. "Arsenal should have ploughed the pitch yesterday like Man U did on their visit," haws Dave from Luxembourg. "Puts a stop to all this tippy-tappy football."

50 min: Arsenal are trying to unhinge Barcelona with their speed - there's a frantic air to their play as they seek to zip forward as soon as they get the ball. Barca are much more composed and precise. Have I said that already?

52 min: Song dives in full-length to dispossess Messi. Mis-time that by an instant and he would have been off. "I held my breath for what seemed like an eternity there when I saw him flying through the air," gulps Andy Townsend on ITV, seemingly having flirted with death.

54 min: In tonight's other game Shakhtar are roasting Roma 3-1 in Italy. That Serie A revival isn't going too well, is it?

56 min: Nasri releases Walcott, who teases Abidal before firing a low cross towards the penalty spot. Maxwell scrambles it clear, but Walcott picks it up again and knocks a cross back in. Barca's clearance is again unconvincing, allowing Van Persie to take possession at the edge of the area. He blazes over.

58 min: Strong defending by Pique to corral Nasri out of play after the Frenchman had threatened to burst into the box. Arsenal do get the corner, though. Chaos ensues in the Barca box but the Catalans eventually scramble it away. Promising signs for Arsenal as the visitors begin to look flustered. Pique, indeed, has just been booked and will miss the second leg.

60 min: Arsenal continue to pressurise and force a succession of corners. This half has been much better from them. An equaliser is certainly not out of the question. "I'm sure Sky used to use four letters to abbreviate each team, because I clearly remember a west ham vs Birmingham game being shown as WHAM/BHAM" Thank you, Christopher Ballard.

63 min: Eboue has been hurtling forward much more in this half, compensating for the fact that Barca had got a grip of Walcott after the Englanders early vibrancy.

65 min: Van Persie and Fabregas exchange passes before the Dutchman, rather predictably, curls a gentle shot into the keeper's arms from 20 yards. He's been tepid tonight, Van Persie.

67 min: Barca begin to reassert themselves. And Messi should probably have made it number two just now. Iniesta slipped the ball through to Messi and the Argentinian slotted under the advancing Szczesny ... but into the sidenetting. "A few years ago in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Bradley played Pittsburgh," drones Michael S Raum. "They show all of the scores from the other games in the corner, and so that game appeared as BRAD PITT."

68 min: Substitutions: Song off, Arshavin on. Villa off, Keita on. Intriguing.

70 min: Clichy intervenes to beak up another menacing Barca move. Arsenal were bewildered there for a minute or two. "If Watford played Rotherham United, it would be WAT ROT," squawks Namratha Hegde.

72 min: Koscielny cops an accidental boot in the face from Messi after beating the Argentinian wizard to the ball. Arsenal fan rather desperately call for a card. "Sky usually abbreviate team names to two letters these days, AV v MC for example," bawls Mark Gillies. "Thankfully there's no interest in Northampton Town's visit to Carlisle United."

74 min: It's all Barca, who are frustrating the home side, again, with their incessant keep-ball. In other news, Klasnic has put Bolton 1-0 up at relegated Wigan. "Playing against Barca a goal down and trying to get the ball off them must be like pushing two inverted magnets together," notes Stanley Lee. "The harder you push the harder the resistance becomes."

76 min: Arsenal substitution: Walcott off, Bendtner on. Walcott has been more polished this season but tonight he was back to his younger self, frequently wasting opportunities with wild passes or wrong choices.

77 min: The splendid Wilshere wins a corner for Arsenal. Valdes comes to clutch Arshavin's harmless delivery.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Barcelona (Van Persie 78') He's looked a little out of sorts tonight but Van Persie has just scored with a freakishly accurate shot! Clichy released him with a canny ball over the top but from almost dead against the by-line the Dutchman seemed certain to cross. Instead he fizzed past the keeper at the near post and into the net. A preposterous goal!

80 min: Arsenal have their dander up now and are pressing for a winner, without any penetration yet. "I'm surprised no German came up with a fictional match between Borussia Dortmund and secnd division Ingolstadt 04," blurts Pedro Fernandes. "Surely the most BOR-ING match anywhere, ever?"

GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona (Arshavin 83') Wonderful goal! Fabregas sent Nasri scampering clear from half-way. He could have shot himself but instead the Frenchman cut back and laid the ball across the box to Arshavin, who guided a fine shot into the net from 18 yards, completing the perfect counter-attack!

84 min: There is an incredible din in the Emirates now! This has been a superb turn-around.

86 min: Bendtner barges his way past Maxwell and Dani Alves in the Barca box and the tries to do a Van Persie by scoring from an absurd angle. This time Valdes saw it coming and was well positioned to divert it behind for a corner.

88 min: Chance here for Barca ... but Messi overhits his pass to Dani Alves, forcing the Brazilian to receive it wider than necessary. With the angle unduly narrowed, Szczesny is able to parry the ensuing shot.

89 min: Barcelona change: Iniesta off, Adriano on.

90 min: Since Wenger has often been accused of lacking tactical nous it is worth mentioning that his substitutions tonight have played a large part in this victory. If it is to be a victory, that is. Fourth official is maintaining the suspense by not yet disclosing how much added time there will be ...

90+1 min: Desperate defending by Arsenal, who eventually shank the ball clear after Barca provoked panic in their box. Koscielny, who may finally have won Arsenal's fans over with a fine performance tonight, was the saviour after Arshavin had goofed to allow Dani Alves a sight of goal. "You can go back to your 'intriguing' comment on the subs to find the source of this turnaround," howls Craig Smaaskjaer. "It was such a bizarre decision by Guardiola. Why change the way you play when the consensus is you are the greatest team on the planet? 1-0 up? Who cares! Terrible decision. Now Barca have to play their way back without that same shape or personnel. Wenger was chuckling to himself as he ushered Arshavin out onto the park."

Full-time: Arsenal have beaten Barcelona for the first time thanks to poor Catalan finishing (and perhaps even complacency) and a magnificent second-half fightback. This was a game that lived up to its hype. And the hype surrounding Jack Wilshere is just going to get louder and louder following this marvellous display. In this fabulous week for London clubs Arsene Wenger has just trumped Harry Redknapp. What price an Arsenal-Spurs Champions League final at Wembley?