Arsenal and Barcelona reached the semi-finals

Champions League

On Wednesday, without any serious problems, Arsenal and Barcelona became semi-finalists of the Champions League. The Londoners drew 0-0 with Juventus in Turin, having even more chances to score than their opponents. Barcelona won at home against Benfica 2:0, although they could have won big.

Juventus-Arsenal

Perhaps those who supported Juventus, their hopes on Wednesday were not even connected with the return of Pavel Nedved and not with the inspiration that could suddenly descend on the Turin team at their home Delle Alpi, but with the fact that Arsenal is young at the end of last year still completely “raw” and unplayed, it will tremble one step away from the first semi-final of the main European Cup in its history. This has happened many times with such teams. There have been many of them in history - beautiful ones, who seemed completely controlled by the coach, but who ultimately gave in to the already almost beaten, but clenching his teeth, grandee. A club staffed by a third of teenagers cannot be so stable!

The feeling that these hopes were in vain arose somehow immediately. Together with the realization of the fact that Arsene Wenger’s words that his players would not sit in defense, but would play the football that he taught them and which they know how to play best - from attack, were not just a stock phrase . There was not a drop of fear in the behavior of the Londoners on the field. They took one corner, then another. Gilberto volleyed into Fabio Cannavaro, who was sprawled on the ground. Francesc Fabregas almost freed himself in the penalty area: Giuliano Giannichedda prevented him at the last moment. Thierry Henry, having received a long pass, managed to handle the ball in half a second, turn around and shoot dangerously. Emmanuel Ebow burst into the penalty area from the right, running away from three opponents and hesitated only on the fourth.

It was, in general, the same Arsenal as a week ago in London. Juventus, of course, was a little different. A little more sharp - largely, naturally, due to Nedved, Mathieu Flamini still overplayed. But still not so sharp as to create something more noticeable in the first half than an offside goal.

His pressure, which has broken many great teams, only led to bad things against Arsenal in the second half. To sharp counterattacks. In one, Henri easily dribbled past Cannavaro and again forced Buffon to work. In another, the Turin goalkeeper was hit by Fabregas, who fired from approximately the same position from the penalty area.

The activity of the Turin attack resulted in three episodes. In one, David Trezeguet fell just short of Nedved's cross. In the second, Ibrahimovic's shot went from harmless to a rather nasty rebound, to which Jens Lehmann reacted. In the third, the Arsenal goalkeeper saved the ball when Nedved was firing from distance. Not bad for an away match, too little for a home match, in which you need to score at least twice.

Soon after his strike, Nedved tripped Ebow from behind with both legs, as if in professional wrestling, and received a red card. The leader's action was a signal to everyone else that it was time to give up. Juventus, who had given up, miraculously did not concede, because in the remaining minutes he allowed both Alexander Gleb and - twice - Fredrik Ljungberg to escape.

About five minutes before the end, 46 thousand people in the stands of Delle Alpi began to whistle and shout offensive chants at their players. Coach Fabio Capello and Juventus vice-president Roberto Bettega later said that they were surprised and outraged by the behavior of the fans. It is possible to understand them. Applause would have been more appropriate for this game - not for Juventus, of course, but for Arsenal.

Barcelona--Benfica

The match in Barcelona was a continuation of the meeting in Lisbon. All the same. Barcelona, as if not caring at all about the score, as if knowing that a place in the semi-finals was in any case reserved for it, today's football standard, forgave Benfica with amazing generosity. From the very beginning. From the moment Armando Pettit interrupted Mark van Bommel's pass in the penalty area with his hand, and Ronaldinho, watching the goalkeeper's jump to Marcel Morett, in which he saved his penalty, smiled from ear to ear. Is this really the way to react to a missed penalty in the Champions League?!

Then Barcelona scored. Samuel Eto'o slipped past Luisao from the right and laid the ball out to Ronaldinho. But one goal, given that it was 0:0 in Lisbon, was not a reliable advantage for the Catalans. And they still forgave Benfica. Like in that moment when van Bommel hit almost point-blank, but again could not deceive Moretta.

Payback almost followed when, midway through the second half, Fabrizio Miccoli lofted the ball across the Barcelona defense to Simão Sabrosa. However, the Portuguese shot wide. If he had been a little more accurate, Victor Valdez, who had lost his position, would certainly not have done anything.

For generous Barcelona, everything ended well. Another unused opportunity by Giorgos Karagounis was Benfica and his own attack, in which Eto'o stopped Julie's pass with his chest and hit the goal, removing all questions about the outcome of the quarter-finals and leaving some for the semi-finals. Because there Barcelona will have to play not with Benfica, but with Milan, who severely punished even the more thrifty Lyon.

ALEXEY J-DOSPEKHOV

Juventus were seen off with a whistle