Controversial goal sets up stirring second leg
Reuters - Thursday 18 February 2010, 09:57
LISBON - Porto's controversial winner
against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday left
Arsene Wenger fuming and set the stage for a thrilling second
leg in London next month.
Porto take a 2-1 advantage to the Emirates Stadium, with
their second goal leaving Arsenal coach Wenger perplexed.
Referee Martin Hansson penalised a Sol Campbell back pass
to keeper Lukasz Fabianski and then allowed Ruben Micael to
take the free-kick quickly for Radamel Falcao to tap in.
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"It's hard to understand this, but who am I? Maybe I am not
intelligent enough to understand it," Wenger said.
"The referee made a goal from a move with no danger.
Besides that, how did he see Campbell's pass as intentional?"
Hansson was also at the centre of the storm around Thierry
Henry's handball in France's World Cup playoff against Ireland
last year.
Porto coach Ferreira said the goal was not a novelty nor
illegal. Wenger's Arsenal had scored a similar goal in 2004
against Chelsea, with Henry scoring from a quick free kick
while the Chelsea defence were caught napping, Ferreira said.
Portuguese commentators wondered how Arsenal could concede
such a soft goal.
"In a tournament like this, with quick-thinking players
ready to use trickery, it's hard to understand what happened to
Arsenal," Joao Pinto, the former Portugal international who is
now a TV and newspaper commentator, wrote in the O Jogo daily.
The game had already proved eventful before Falcao's goal,
with a Fabianski howler gifting Porto the lead and Campbell
scoring the equaliser to mark a remarkable return to the
tournament after scoring in the 2006 final.
Campbell, who had been playing in England's fourth tier for
Notts County five months ago, enjoyed the return to Europe's
top club competition.
"Yes its been a long slog to come back, and I had to dig in
but its just great to be back," he added.
"I think the main thing is at least we got a goal and now
we have got them at home - and we are good at home and
hopefully will get the right result."
Arsenal will expect to have some of their long list of
injured players back for the March 9 last 16 second leg.
"The second leg will be different," Wenger said.
"When we play at home we have another psychological
strength.
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