Arsenal Beats Barcelona

I was hopeful that Arsenal would come out against Barcelona with fire. I wanted Van Persie to show his scoring class and for Walcott to embarrass Maxwell. I wanted Fabregas to dominate his boyhood club and for Jack Wilshere to show that a 19 year old can perform on the biggest stage. I thought that Wojciech Szczesny to prove that Arsenal's keeper crisis no longer exists and for Arsenal's much maligned defense to somehow shut down Barca's fearsome quartet of Messi, Villa, Xavi and Iniesta.

Arsenal did start that way. They controlled the pace and Walcott threatened with his pace. Everything was looking good for maybe a one nil Arsenal win. Then Barca struck. Messi fed Villa with a perfect pass and Villa finished like he always does. I thought Arsenal would give up hope of winning and Barca would finish them off. At halftime, i was deciding whether or not to skip until the end of the game and pause when I saw the score change. I decided not to, and I was rewarded for my semi-faith.

Arsenal came out strong and Barca came out flat. Arsenal looked the stronger side all second half but they couldn't find the net. Then, in the 78th minute, Van Persie scored one of those goals that gets watched over and over again on YouTube (I have). How was he able to blast the ball through that tiny space? Five minutes later, the Russian that all Arsenal fans seem to hate (Andrey Arshavin) curled the ball far post for the winning goal and Arsenal finished 2-1 winners.

This game proves Arsenal could get a result in Barcelona and progress. It also proves Gunners have grown up and can beat any team in the world. Let's hope for the best.