#RoadtoGlasgow – OnThisDay: Bayer 04 vs Arsenal 1-1

Situation

The table ahead of matchday three in Group D was evenly balanced. All four teams had won and lost once giving them three points each. After a 4-0 defeat in the opening game against Juventus, Bayer 04 got back on track with a 3-0 home win against Deportivo La Coruna. And now Leverkusen played an English club for the first time in their 81st match on the European stage. Arsenal lost their opening game 2-0 away to Deportivo but then beat Juventus 3-1 at Highbury. "It's an honour to be able to compare ourselves with a team like that," enthused Klaus Toppmöller after the match against the Gunners who had lost all of their last six away games in the Champions League. There were six French players in the side managed by the French coach Arsène Wenger including the World Cup and European Championship winners Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires plus the European Champion Sylvain Wiltord. One oddity: The Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp, who had a fear of flying, was brought to Leverkusen in a car due to the injury situation Arsenal to be in line to make his first European appearance away from home in over two years – however he spent the 90 minutes on the subs bench.

The match

In persistent rain, the hosts immediately took the initiative at the BayArena while Arsenal initially restricted themselves to remaining compact in defence. The spectators saw few goalscoring chances for either team in the first half in spite of the number of highly talented attacking players on both sides. The best chance for Werkself fell to Ulf Kirsten but Sol Campbell foiled him just in front of goal (25'). Bayer 04 remained on top at the start of the second half. But the runners-up from the capital of England were dangerous on the break. The first big chance was converted by Arsenal thanks to a move involving the Frenchmen Wiltord and Pires to give the visitors the lead (56'). The Toppmöller team responded with increased efforts to mount attacks but chances were missed by Yildiray Bastürk (61’), Oliver Neuville (62’) and Ze Roberto (63’). After Arsenal's Ray Parlour was shown a second yellow card for an overzealous challenge on Bastürk, Bayer 04 went all out in attack. Toppmöller brought on Dimitar Berbatov as a third striker alongside Neuville and Kirsten. The Bulgarian forward was unlucky with a header that hit the bar (83'). Kirsten finally made the breakthrough just before the end of the game when he scored a deserved equaliser at 1-1 from a cross by Bernd Schneider (90').

Moment of the match

The 22,500 spectators at a sold-out BayArena were kept waiting right to the end of the game as it appeared the Gunners defence impenetrable on the night. That was until 'Schnix' hit a final long ball into the six-yard box with the ball bouncing up on the wet turf four yards in front of David Seaman's goal. It took an acrobatic effort from Ulf Kirsten to make something of the cross. In describing his last-minute goal, that gave his team a very important point, Kirsten said he jumped for the tricky cross "like Karate Kid."

Man of the Match

Of course, Ulf Kirsten – the 36-year-old was again in the right spot at the right time in his 70th European match. The strike was his 41st goal in European competition – and it was to be his last on the European stage. "Only he can score goals like that. Ulf is a phenomenon, he has an inimitable goalscoring instinct, he is a role model for his teammates," said 'Toppi' in praising his number nine after the match.

Reaction

"When you are so dominant against Arsenal for large periods it shows we have a certain quality," said Bayer 04 captain Jens Nowotny after the 1-1 draw. General manager Reiner Calmund declared: "To beat such a great team we would have needed another 10 to 15 per cent more energy." Arsenal's coach Arsène Wenger was happy about "the best away game by my team this season" and he added: "We defended like lions. If you win the home games and pick up points away then that should be enough for the quarter-finals."

What the papers say

The Rheinische Post reported that "Arsenal’s French Connection came within a whisker of taking points at the BayArena" and the report also showed disappointment with the level of the game. "Almost unbeatable number of stars international standard is no guarantee of unbeatable quality. From experience that is nothing new and little comfort to the supporters. ... Bayer and Arsenal too often and too long maintained neutrality in their balance of forces." The Kölnische Rundschau saw two completely different halves. "For one half, the players from London ensured that the efforts of both teams to provide spectacular goalmouth action were as dismal as the weather. The second half was completely different: While nothing change with the rainy weather, more energetic attacking efforts by Leverkusen finally brought the game to life." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger praised Ulf Kirsten: "The fact his team would not have to travel to Arsenal, to face the side containing four France internationals, having already been knocked out was down to the still fresh instincts of the old player."

Stats

Bayer 04: Butt – Zivkovic, Nowotny (Vranjes 61’), Lucio, Placente (Berbatov 75’) – Schneider, Ballack, Bastürk, Ze Roberto – Neuville, Kirsten

Arsenal: Seaman – Lauren, Campbell, Stepanovs, van Bronckhorst – Wiltord (Grimandi 71’), Parlour, Vieira, Pires – Kanu (Edu 75’), Henry

Goals: 0-1 Pires (56’), 1-1 Kirsten (90’)

Booked: Zivkovic – Stepanovs

Sent off: Parlour

Chances: 6:3

Shots at goal: 17:7; on target: 7:6

Corners: 11:4

Referee: Alain Sars (France)

Attendance: 22,500 (sold out)

Matchday images

Support

Not only the Bayer 04 fans were clearly keen on seeing the end of the long Champions League winter break. The last match in Europe's premier club competition against Deportivo was over two and a half months ago. But the clash between the Werkself and the Gunners at the BayArena drew great demand for tickets from supporters of the away team. Coach loads of Arsenal fans came from London and even some from Denmark. The away section was full. And the press box was also busier than usual with the strong presence of British members of the media. This match in the second group stage had the character of a play-off – and was nevertheless just a taster for the big, thrilling, nerve jangling matches against Liverpool and Manchester United that were to come.

State of play: Group D

It remained exciting: The other match between Juventus and Deportivo also ended in a draw (0-0) so that all the teams in the group now had four points. A week later, on 27 February, Bayer 04 would play their first European match in England. There was huge anticipation for the game at Highbury.

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