on wednesday i went down to the emirates to see arsenal play our champions league quarter final match against barcelona. i did a similar thing last year when i saw us lose the semi final against man u, thankfully this time wasn't quite so grim. we didn't lose the match, but i've no idea how as we were completely outplayed for most of the game by the best football team i've ever seen live. they were so good, that i couldn't help but admire the way they were humiliating us. if it wasn't for our keeper pulling off some uncharacteristically world class saves, we'd have gone in at half time out of the whole tie. we managed to hold out until the second half, about 25 seconds of the second half, and when they scored their second it looked like it was going to be a comprehensive defeat. yet somehow we managed to get a goal back, which roused the crowd, and we then won a penalty in the last few minutes which improbably meant the final score finished 2-2. it was a mad game as we were thoroughly outclassed for long periods, we lost three key players to season ending injuries (top-left, top-right and bottom-middle) and we have close to zero chance in the return fixture next week - yet it was a great spectacle, probably one of the best games of football i've seen, and well worth the journey.

here's the original

on wednesday i went down to the emirates to see arsenal play our champions league quarter final match against barcelona. i did a similar thing last year when i saw us lose the semi final against man u, thankfully this time wasn't quite so grim. we didn't lose the match, but i've no idea how as we were completely outplayed for most of the game by the best football team i've ever seen live. they were so good, that i couldn't help but admire the way they were humiliating us. if it wasn't for our keeper pulling off some uncharacteristically world class saves, we'd have gone in at half time out of the whole tie. we managed to hold out until the second half, about 25 seconds of the second half, and when they scored their second it looked like it was going to be a comprehensive defeat. yet somehow we managed to get a goal back, which roused the crowd, and we then won a penalty in the last few minutes which improbably meant the final score finished 2-2. it was a mad game as we were thoroughly outclassed for long periods, we lost three key players to season ending injuries (top-left, top-right and bottom-middle) and we have close to zero chance in the return fixture next week - yet it was a great spectacle, probably one of the best games of football i've seen, and well worth the journey.

here's the original