Sporting Braga 2 Arsenal 0:ARSENE WENGER was left fuming last night by the display of the officials, hitting out over both the non-award of the penalty and a foul on Emmanuel Eboue in the build-up to the first goal which left his side down to 10 men.
“We are going through a period where we have bad luck, we had Eboue kicked off the park without any punishment and we also had the penalty turned down,” said Wenger, referring to sub Carlos Vela being booked for a dive when it was clearly a penalty.
“What was the fifth official doing? We have another proof that it is absolutely useless, this system,” said an angry Wenger.
When Matheus twice ran through and finished beyond Lukasz Fabianski with seven minutes remaining and then moments from time all the concerns regarding his side’s frailties were shown up yet again.
Beyond the defeat and the implications it has for Arsenal’s qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League – they must beat Partizan, who have no points, in their final group game – is the serious question over whether after five years they can finally end their trophy drought.
On this showing and the display in the demoralising defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, the answer is surely no. Against opponents routed 6-0 in the reverse of this fixture in September Arsenal were looking to prove they could eradicate the complacency that caused a two-goal lead to become a 3-2 loss to Spurs.
That had been the pre-match demand from Arsene Wenger, who was honest enough to admit the squandering of winning positions might become a damaging habit.
Wenger chose to rest Marouane Chamakh and instead start Nicklas Bendtner in attack, and swap Samir Nasri, outstanding so far this season, with Tomas Rosicky, who lined up on the left of Arsenal’s attacking midfield trio. Jack Wilshere, an unused substitute in the north London derby, was also selected, in place of Alex Song, and though he began by moving fluidly from deep to cause Braga problems, his first-half display, like his team’s, was disappointing.
Despite the need to start sharply and maintain focus, Arsenal were caught dozing when a swinging ball played in from the right was allowed to travel across the face of Lukasz Fabianski’s area and be collected on the opposite flank by Matheus, who was fouled.
Luis Aguiar, who was operating opposite Cesc Fabregas in central midfield, lifted the free-kick into the area and from close range Moises, the centre-back, had a free header from which he should have scored.
And on 18 minutes Gibbs offered a prime example of what can be a major failing of Wenger’s team when slick work from colleagues allowed the left-back to collect possession deep inside the Braga area. But Gibbs, making a first start for nearly a month for his club, passed backwards and straight to an opponent.
When they were more direct, Arsenal’s pace caused problems and they created enough chances from this tactic to have taken the lead. On 40 minutes Bendtner looped the ball over the defence and Theo Walcott hit a shot on the bounce that nearly beat Felipe.
Earlier, Walcott had raced beyond Elderson, delivered a whipped cross in front of the Braga goalkeeper, but neither Bendtner nor a team-mate had the instinct to make the correct run. Walcott also lost a race with Felipe when racing in behind, while Fabregas had forced the goalkeeper into tipping over a free-kick for a corner. But, when that was delivered, and broke to Emmanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou could not hit the target after the right-back’s clever ball dropped onto his boot. It was that kind of 45 minutes from the visitors.
Wenger is also accused of being too protective of this current team and some feel he needs to hand out a few more rollickings.
Despite only a point being needed to advance to the knockout stages, another mentally devastating defeat was staring Arsenal in the face. Yet if the Frenchman did tear strips off his players then his anger proved impotent as their performance deteriorated at the outset of the second half.
During what was an indistinct period, Walcott managed to curl a free-kick over, but beyond this Braga controlled much of the play. And on the hour a goal nearly came for them when too much space was awarded to Aguiar and he went close with an effort that worried Fabianski’s left post before proving too wide.
Mexico winger Carlos Vela was sent on for Walcott and immediately found himself booked for diving by the referee when it seemed a clear trip by Alberto Rodriguez in the area.
BRAGA: Felipe, Miguel Garcia, Moises, Rodriguez, Echiejile, Vandinho (Hugo Viana 89), Leandro Salino, Alan, Aguiar (Madrid 80), Matheus, Lima (Elton 81). Subs not used: Artur Moraes, Mossoro, Silvio, Anibal. Booked: Aguiar, Miguel Garcia.
ARSENAL: Fabianski, Eboue, Squillaci, Djourou, Gibbs, Walcott (Vela 76), Denilson, Wilshere, Rosicky, Fabregas (Nasri 69), Bendtner (Chamakh 73). Subs not used: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Song. Booked: Eboue, Denilson, Djourou, Vela, Rosicky.
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).
