OT: Is anyone watching AC Milan vs. Arsenal?
It's halftime now, but Arsenal has put themselves in a position to pull off the unlikely comeback. After going down 4-0 in the first leg at the San Siro, Arsenal would have to score at least five in the second leg today--without conceding--to advance to the next round.
Well the Gunners have come out swinging, netting their first goal 5 or so minutes after kickoff. After 45 minutes of play, Arsenal is up 3-0 (down only 4-3 on aggregate). With Milan pressing to get the all-important away goal (which would change the complexion of the match), it has been a wide open affair, with the pace of the match slowed only by questionable officiating. Sets up nicely for a thrilling second half.
Stream: http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/111704/1/watch-arsenal-vs-ac-milan.html
EDIT: Above stream may no longer be available.
That one has been a serviceable backup.
I will start watching now. I hate Arsenal, but like watching RVP because I think he is a special talent.
... but pretty sure you and I are not not watching it together.
Yep, boy they look nervous, specially the youngsters, It'd be incredible if Milan pissed this game away, anyways, forza Milan!
Give me $5 and I will watch it.
I don't know if this was a problem in the first half, but Milan is giving up too much space in the center MF area. Aresenal MF players are able to just run with the ball without anyone closing down on them.
OMG! Abbiati!!! =O
RVP just blew a golden opportunity.
I can't believe he did that. That is something I expect from Torres. Not RVP.
I would if I weren't stuck on North Campus... :(
I don't really like Arsenal but I find myself rooting for them just because of how epic this comeback would be. I am thinking Milan has to score at some point though.
My cable provider just added Fox Soccer and I am loving it. First half was crazy. But not as crazy as that Abiatti save. Incredible. I want Arsenal to add another as I want to see some overtime or penalties.
Up the Gunners!
I can't stand the aggregate scoring system.
go gunners!!!!!!!!
I definately root for Arsenal in the EPL, their passing style and their emphases on youth system is very similar to Barcelona.
A healthy midfield of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, and Alex Song is scary good.
And of course as I type that Alex Song makes 2 bad decisions in a row.
Offtopic - am I the only one that feels having Real Madrid win La Liga when they continue to lose to Barcelona upsetting? Sure, Barca has played down to lower competition a bit but head-to-head has been tremendously (see what I did there?) one-sided.]
meh. We've won it the past 3 seasons. Can't win it every year, and we've sustained huge injuries thir year (Iniesta, Villa, Alexis, Affelay, Xavi, Puyol, Adriano)
As an aside, im afraid we have drastically different transfer market hopes. I dont ever want Robin Van Persie (or Neymar for that matter) on Barca. The dude is good but he's so streaky. And he's a dick. I'd much rather we continue to promote youngsters like Cristian Tello, Isaac Cuenca, Gerard Delofeu, and Sergi Samper.
You're making a lot of sense. I didn't realize RVP is a dick - I just like his game. But I love Cuenca and Tello is growing on me (his first step is so quick) that I'd hate to see them lose playing time. I've only seen Delofeu once and he looked good.
Other than Messi (obviously), I think I've been most impressed with Alexis' gutsiness (new word) since I've started watching soccer regularly.
Either Barca and RM will win La Liga until things change because it has become a two team league.
Teams that used to "contend" for the title had to off load good players so that they can stay afloat.
Good effort gunners. If you didn't absolutely crap the bed @ the San Siro, it would be a different match. Instead, the season of shame for the EPL in the UCL continues.
I DVR'ed the game but I can't wait. I find myself disliking Italian soccer more and more and would love to see Milan lose. Although, if Arsenal loses maybe it puts Van Persie all that closer to joining my beloved Barca . . .
Italian is my favorite. Mostly because my roommates and I did a Manager Mode in Fifa 08 and started out with Lecce and took them to incredible heights. None of us know a lick about soccer strategy but we had a great time with it. But my favorite team across Europe is Wolverhampton and it just developed that way because it was easier to find information about the Wolves than it was for Lecce because of the language barrier. But my mom's family is Italian and I just like to stick to the roots for the msot part.
Italian soccer is boring. I feel like they have more 0-0 games than any other league. I have no stats to back it up though.
Song just blew what could have been a great chance for a goal. Had options on his right or left and was just....I don't even know what he did or was thinking but it wasn't good.
I think he was trying to recreate his assist to RVP from the Liverpool game.
They may have lost on aggregate, but I hope the Gunners throw their support behind Wenger. He may be a dick sometimes but he is a helluva manager and knows how to mold young players into some of the world's best.
I feel the same way about him. Like Barca, Arsenal has a really good youth program.
if RVP joins barca i will cry, but i honestly don't think there is any way they let him walk. not after nasri and cesc left (you bastards, i know he was in your youth system but still...damn you)
I've been most impressed with his vision and passing skill. Not so much his offensive firepower but he definitely creates a lot of changes for guys like Messi, IMH (and pretty uneducated) O.
I think you'll forgive us when Jon Torral makes it to Arsenal's first team (you stole him from us, like you stole Cesc 6 years ago) ;)
A bit anticlimactic in the end. Milan hunkered down and defended and Arsenal seemed to move away from what was working in the first half. Van Percie will be thinking about his point blank chance for the equalizer against Abbiati, who was on the ground and came up huge in the end. 3-0 is your final. Milan are through.
I can't believe this idiot really has the time to go through and mark all posts as "overrated" or "redundant"
happens every time we talk about soccer. Some people are so unhappy with their own lives they have to try and shit on others'.
Soccer is such a great sport, I can't understand the hate. If there is a topic about a sport I don't care about like hockey or baseball, I don't even look at the thread, let alone comment in it.
I clicked on a baseball thread yesterday, but it wasn't a complete waste of time because I learned about a Michigan baseball player.
Other than yesterday I never click on anything related to baseball.
Forza Milan! ITalian soccer this year is better than any league in the world from top to bottom. The top six EPL teams can't compete with the top 6 in Italy right now.
Valiant effort from the Gunners after what was a disgusting performance at the San Siro. RvP will be haunted by that missed opportunity, but it's hard to be upset with him with how he has carried this team on his back. Hopefully they can take this performance as a positive and finish the EPL season strong, fend off Chelsea and claim that 4th slot in the table.
Encouraging performance, if not a disappointing finish.