Walcott Sparks Arsenal Revival Against Superior Barcelona

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Arsenal staged a stirring fightback from 2-0 down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the clash Tyler Bey Jersey of European footballs most recognised purists.The defending European champions stamped their authority on the match with a thunderous start, but somehow left the pitch at half time with the game remaining goalle s.However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic set those wrongs to right at the beginning of the second half with a cla sy double to dampen the spirits of an initially vociferous crowd at the Emirates Stadium.But Theo Walcott emerged from the bench under the watchful gaze of Fabio Capello, the England manager, to pull one back for the Gunners before Cesc Fabregas rifled home a late penalty when Carlos Puyol, the Barcelona captain, was shown a red card for fouling his compatriot in the penalty area.The Catalan giants are undoubted favourites to progre s with home advantage in the second leg, but Arsene Wenger will have been delighted with the resilience and spirit shown by his young side that showed steel in the face of adversity.Arsenal were under the cosh from the outset and had their much-maligned goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to thank for keeping the scores level during a frantic opening. The Spaniard did well to save low from Sergio Busquets with just seconds on the clock, but surpa sed that when he stopped Lionel Me sis goalbound shot with his legs all under the glare of the Gunners former number one Jens Lehmann.Unable to gain control of the ball, the Gunners were visibly shaken and appeared to be short of ideas on how to regain po se sion from a Barca side that sought to cover every single blade of gra s on the Emirates pitch, and strolled around with consummate ease and the swagger of champions.Cesc Fabregas, the Arsenal captain, gained his invitation to the party after pa sing a late fitne s test but appeared to have lost his way to the dancefloor as the knee injury sustained in Saturdays trip to Birmingham City evidently played on the diminutive midfielders mind.Almunias heroics were to be a recurring theme throughout the first half as he was called into action with worrying repetition, firstly blocking Zlatan Ibrahimovics point-blank strike and then denying Xavis goalward blast from the resulting rebound. Me si followed up with an effort of his own which was cleared off the line by Alex Song before the Gunners finally dealt with the danger fully by hoofing the ball clear.When Arsenal finally did gain po se sion they almost made it count. Andrey Arshavin picked out Samir Nasri on the left flank with a swinging cro s which the French winger controlled before cutting inside and bending his effort past Victor Valdes post by a matter of inches.Barcelonas reaction to Nasris near-mi s was nonchalant, and demonstrated the unflappable spirit which Guardiola has instilled into his team as they picked up where they left off, dexterously stringing together pa s after pa s which left the likes of Song, Abou Diaby and Fabregas chasing shadows in a malfunctioning Arsenal engine room.Injury was duly added to insult Maxi Kleber Jersey when Andrey Arshavin was forced off with a groin injury after just 27 minutes, the Ru sian was replaced by the reformed Emmanuel Eboue.Ibrahimovic fired over from close range as half time approached, before Nicklas Bendtner connected at the other end with Nasris dangerous cro s from the left-wing which Valdes saved, although the Danish striker had already been adjudged to be offside.The misery of Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, was further compounded on the stroke of half time as William Gallas was stretchered off with a recurrence of the calf strain that had kept him out of the Gunners previous eight games. Fabregas then picked up his third yellow card of the tournament after a foul on Sergio Busquets, meaning that the Arsenal skipper will mi s the return leg through suspension.Arsenals resistance was finally broken just thirty seconds into the second half when former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique sent a high, looping ball over the top of the Gunners defence to send Ibrahimovic clear, and the Swede chipped sweetly over the onrushing Almunia to put the visitors ahead.Seemingly spurred on by the hammerblow dealt to their European dreams just seconds after the break, the home side searched for a quick-fix, and they almost got it. Fabregas found Gael Clichy overlapping on the left wing, and the Frenchman bent a viscious cro s into the Barcelona penalty area, but Bendtner could only power his header straight into the gloves of Valdes.The European adventure was in tatters minutes later though, when Ibrahimovic again sprung the offside trap and collected Xavis delightful throughball before drilling an unstoppable finish past Almunia.After scoring his first two goals on English soil, Ibrahimovic was later replaced by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who received a rapturous reception from the Emirates Stadium supporters.Barcelonas two-goal lead also instigated Wengers final switch, when he opted to replace right back Bacary Sagna Josh Reaves Jersey with Theo Walcott.It was a move which reaped instant rewards, as the flying winger ran rings around the otherwise effective stand-in Barca left back Maxwell, and then latched onto a Nicklas Bendtner pa s to fire beneath Valdes to provide his side with a glimmer of hope.Hope then turned to elation, as Puyol bundled over Fabregas in the area to the delight of the home fans. Puyol was shown a straight red card by the referee Ma simo Busacca, who awarded a penalty which Fabregas pounded home to keep his team very much in the hunt for European glory.It came at a cost however, as the Arsenal captain was left in a visible amount of pain after scoring the equaliser.All eyes now turn to the Nou Camp next Tuesday, when the concluding installment of this footballing spectacle will be played out in front of a fervent Catalan crowd at arguably the greatest footballing venue on earth.ARSENAL 2 (Walcott 69, Fabregas 85)Team: Almunia, Sagna (Walcott 66), Gallas (Denilson 45), Vermaelen, Clichy, Diaby, Song, Fabregas, Arshavin (Eboue 27), Bendtner, NasriUnused Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Campbell, RosickyBooked: Diaby, Fabregas, Song, Arshavin, EboueBARCELONA 2 (Ibrahimovic 46, 59)Team: Valdes, Dani Alves, Puyol, Pique, Maxwell, Keita, Busquets, Xavi, Me si (Milito 86), Ibrahimovic (Henry 77), PedroUnused Subs: Pinto, Marquez, Yaya Toure, Jeffren, BojanBooked: PiqueSent Off: Puyol
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