Not many people would have predicted Arsenal’s incredible result against Real Madrid, comprehensively beating the defending Champions League winners 3-0 in front of a packed Emirates Stadium.
Even more surprising was Declan Rice turning into prime Roberto Carlos to score two worldy free kicks against Courtois, who is widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the world.
While that victory doesn’t kill the tie, it does put the Gunners in a brilliant position to progress. Punters who visit their local bookies or bet online with UK operators and non Gamstop betting sites have seen the club’s odds of lifting the Champions League trophy cut to 100/30, with Real Madrid now seen as 20/1 outsiders to retain European football’s most coveted domestic honour.
Arteta will have options to consider for the return fixture at the Bernabeu, with Real Madrid still a dangerous prospect. If he goes defensively and invites pressure, fans will never forgive him if the team fails to progress.
All-out attack seems unlikely, and the team will most likely try to contain the Spanish giants, and a breakaway goal could be all that is needed to kill the tie.
One thing is for sure, the 3-0 victory is easily one of the side’s best European results and something that Arteta will hope breeds confidence in his players.
Some other great European results that Arsenal has produced over the years includes a 1994 Cup Winners Cup victory against Parma.
This was the last time Arsenal lifted a European trophy, and George Graham’s side were able to beat a tough Parma side that boasted the attacking prowess of players like Gianfranco Zola, Thomas Brolin, and Faustino Asprilla.
Alan Smith’s 20th-minute volley was enough for Arsenal, who boasted a defence of David Seaman, Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, and Nigel Winterburn.
While that narrow result brought European glory, a Champions League group game in 2003 will be remembered for the way the team completely destroyed their opponents.
Arsenal faced an Inter Milan that was packed with stars and sat on top of Group B after 4 games. Arsenal were bottom of the group after a disappointing campaign so far, and fans feared the worst heading to the famous San Siro.
Despite the score line, the match was a lot closer than it appears. Henry put Arsenal ahead in 25 minutes before Christian Vieri equalised for the Nerazzurri just 8 minutes later. The teams went in level at half-time before Ljungberg put Arsenal ahead 4 minutes after the break.
The narrow margin remained until Henry got his second of the game and Arsenal’s third in the 85th minute, taking the wind out of the sails of Inter. Edu netted the fourth in the 88th minute, and Pires rounded off a remarkable result 1 minute later.
Inter Milan has stars like Zanetti and Cannavaro in their defence, making it an even more impressive result.
Another defeat of Real Madrid stands out when the teams met in the round of the last 16 in 2006. This was the season that Arsenal narrowly missed out in the final to Barcelona, but a 0-1 victory at the Bernabeu and a solid 0-0 saw them knock Real Madrid out in the first knockout stages.
This victory was the first of any English team at the Bernabeu and came against a side that had players like Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Beckham, Zidane, and Ronaldo (R9). A 47th-minute strike from who else but Thierry Henry was the only goal of the tie in a year that the Gunners came excruciatingly close.
While great to get a solid result against one of Europe’s giants, being able to despatch smaller teams is equally important. The quality of European competition has improved over the years, making it more difficult than ever to negotiate tricky ties.
In the 2007/08 Champions League group stages, Arsenal came up against Sevilla, Slavia Prague, and Steaua Bucharest in Group H. Arsenal eventually finished second to Sevilla, but a 7-0 home win against Slavia Prague was a highlight.
This was a year that English football dominated the competition, with Arsenal eventually losing to Liverpool in the quarter-finals. Liverpool went on to be knocked out by Chelsea in the semi-final, before Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties to win the trophy.
In game week 3 of the group stage, Arsenal gave the home fans a treat with a comfortable 7-0 win against Slavia Prague. Fabregas and Walcott both got doubles, with Hleb, Bendtner, and an own goal rounding things off for a rampant Arsenal side.
The 3-0 victory against Real Madrid will go down in Arsenal history as one of their best European results, but failure to capitalise on this excellent start would haunt them. Hopefully, these examples will provide the inspiration for an excellent second leg that will see the team progress.
