MADRID MEMORIES: RELIVING OUR 2006 TRIUMPH OVER REAL
The stars were on show when we went toe-to-toe with the Galacitos in this Champions League last-16 clash, which was ultimately decided by a moment of magic from our own global icon.
After finishing top of a group including Ajax, Thun and Sparta Prague, our "reward" for reaching the knockout stages was a tussle with Real Madrid.
Coming into the tie we were almighty underdogs; written off by nearly every journalist, pundit and neutral football fan alike. We had won just four of our last 12 games in all competitions and our record against Spanish opposition was far from impressive. But if we were supposed to just roll over and die, someone must have forgotten to hand Thierry Henry the script.
It was our first-ever competitive meeting with Los Blancos, who boasted Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos among their ranks. But our own superstar stole the show and ultimately sent us into the quarter-finals.
No English team had ever beaten Real at the Bernabeu but we made history when Henry netted arguably his greatest ever Gunners goal to hand us a one-goal lead heading into the return leg at Highbury.
Despite fielding a makeshift back four in both games, we failed to be beaten for the whole 180 minutes to knock Madrid out of the tournament and reach the last eight. Having beaten the most famous team in the world, anything was possible…
REAL MADRID 0-1 ARSENAL
February 26, 2006 | Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
This was undoubtedly one of our finest nights as we stunned the hosts with a fantastic performance full of free-flowing football and dominated right from the start, to the point where they could have been two up in the opening quarter of an hour.
In only the second minute Iker Casillas saved from Jose Antonio Reyes, and then Freddie Ljungberg took the ball around Casillas only to be foiled by a perfectly timed tackle from Roberto Carlos. Both of these early chances were set up by Thierry Henry, who was imperious throughout, while our overall passing and quality left Madrid's Galacticos unusually flat-footed.
However, for all of our undoubted dominance, only a save with his feet by Jens Lehmann in the 33rd minute kept David Beckham from opening the scoring. But the former Manchester United midfielder would rue that missed opportunity when Henry deservedly scored two minutes into the second half with a strike of individual brilliance.
The Frenchman picked the ball up just inside the Madrid half and charged forward. He escaped from Alvaro Meija, evaded a crude Guti challenge, beat Sergio Ramos for pace to somehow get a sight of goal, and with complete coolness slipped the ball past Iker Casillas to complete a superb solo effort to stun the Bernabeu.
Raul had the hosts' best chance after emerging from the bench later in the half, but he could only head a Beckham free-kick just over Lehmann's crossbar, and so it remained 1-0 at the final whistle.
We had defeated the star-studded but fading Galacticos and this result was seen in many circles as the beginning of the end for this era in Madrid's history. The Galacticos project had been instigated by Florentino Perez to bring superstar footballers from around the globe to Real Madrid year on year, but now that policy had appeared to have run its course.
Our win was made even more special as Arsène Wenger drafted youngsters Emmanuel Eboue, Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos into the defence to replace experienced stars such as Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and Lauren, who were missing through injury.
At the final whistle Henry and Real's leading player on the night, Beckham, embraced and swapped shirts. The scene was set for the return match a fortnight later.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Cicinho, Ramos, Woodgate (Mejia 9), Roberto Carlos, Gravesen (Baptista 76), Beckham, Guti, Zidane, Robinho (Raul 63); Ronaldo
Subs not used: Cobeno, Salgado, Cassano, Diogo
Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Flamini, Ljungberg, Hleb (Pires 76), Gilberto, Fabregas (Song 90), Reyes (Diaby 80), Henry.
Subs not used: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Lupoli.
"I knew I would get one chance. We had wasted chances in the first half and I told myself I had to take the next one and I did that.
"Because I scored, people will put me ahead of the team, but the whole team was tremendous"
THIERRY HENRY
"We are a young team, but winning a game like this helps them mature. This is a result that will help us come together.
"My only regret is that there were one or two opportunities for more goals and unfortunately we could not take them"
ARSENE WENGER
ARSENAL 0-0 REAL MADRID
March 8, 2006 | Highbury
We welcomed the most successful team in Europe for their first competitive appearance at an expectant but nervous Highbury.
Wenger decided upon the same tactics that had succeeded in Madrid two weeks earlier - utilising five across the midfield with Henry in the lone striker position. The plan was clearly to pack the midfield and rely on runners to break from deep in support of the Frenchman.
Wenger's counterpart was Juan Lopez Caro, a relatively unheralded appointment who had replaced the sacked Vanderlei Luxumburgo the previous December after spending four years in charge of the club's 'B' team. He added Raul to the starting line-up and played with two up front, but the extra striker made no difference as once again Los Blancos failed to breach our solid defence.
We withstood all that Real could throw at them, the assault starting as early as the third minute when Ronaldo missed a chance, before being robbed by Gilberto's tackle when put clear after a well-timed flick by Raul. But we created chances too, and came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when Jose Antonio Reyes hit the crossbar with a fierce drive. In fact, he and Thierry Henry both had a number of efforts in the first period.
After an hour Raul slammed a half-volley off a post, and having watched that shot rebound off the upright his next goal-bound effort was kept out superbly by Lehmann.
Beckham, aside from setting up Raul, was a peripheral figure on the right for much of the game - his appearance notable more for his frustration at the nagging attentions of Mathieu Flamini than it was for his trademark pinpoint crosses.
Both sides continued to create openings. Henry was denied by Iker Casillas, and in injury-time the Spanish keeper was caught out after coming up for a corner. We broke forward and Robert Pires shot from inside his own half only to see his goal-bound effort just cleared by Roberto Carlos. There was still time for Lehmann to deny Robinho before the final whistle ended the enthralling encounter.
This win, which belied our poor league form, propelled us into the last eight, and ultimately the final that season - our best-ever run in the European Cup or Champions League.
Arsenal: Lehmann; Eboue, Toure, Senderos, Flamini, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb (Bergkamp 87), Reyes (Pires 67), Henry.
Subs not used: Almunia, Diaby, Song, Walcott, Djourou.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Salgado (Robinho 84), Ramos, Bravo, Roberto Carlos, Gravesen (Baptista 67), Beckham, Guti, Zidane, Raul (Cassano 73), Ronaldo.
Subs not used: Diego, Helguera, Cicinho, Diogo.
"we defended well and managed to hold on. The strength of our team was our resilience and how we defended.
"We went 10 games without conceding in the Champions League that season. People were ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team"
PHILIPPE SENDEROS
"if you had told me that we would play Real Madrid twice without conceding a goal with so many defenders out, then I would have been delighted.
"Nobody expected us to be the last English team in the competition. We will represent the country with dignity and style"
ARSENE WENGER
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