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The second semi-final match of the UEFA Champions League was played on Wednesday in the capital of England, London, where "Arsenal" met the league debutant "Villarreal" and secured a minimal victory after Kolo Toure's only goal at the end of the first half.
1 - 0 41` [1 - 0] Kolo Toure
"Arsenal," playing their last European cup match at their "Highbury" stadium, took control from the beginning of the match and already in the fourth minute after Thierry Henry's penalty attempt, Kolo Toure had a chance to score, but the defender from Ivory Coast missed the shot.
Later, Gilberto Silva and Philippe Senderos unsuccessfully threatened the opponents' goal, and in the 12th minute, a goal scored by T. Henry was disallowed due to a questionable offside. After withstanding the pressure from the hosts, the visitors slowly started to attack themselves, but even a squirrel appearing on the field overshadowed their unsuccessful attempts. In the middle of the half, "Arsenal" regained momentum, and a shot by R. Pires from the penalty area flew past the post.
Eight minutes later, the same R. Pires found himself alone against the goalkeeper, but in the final moment, the ball was knocked out from under his feet by Cesar Arzo. The pressure from the hosts finally paid off in the 41st minute when the ball returned to T. Henry after a corner kick, he passed it to the penalty area for Alexander Hleb, who then passed it to K. Toure, who directed the ball into the net.
At the end of the first half, "Villarreal" tried to equalize, but after Jens Lehmann saved the penalty kick, the players of the London club rushed to the ball first while after Gilberto's attempt to clear the ball from under Jose Maria's feet, the Spanish striker fell in the penalty area, but the match referee did not see any foul in that episode.
After the break, both teams unsuccessfully attempted long-range shots, and in the 57th minute, Emmanuel Eboue deceived a opponent in the penalty area and passed the ball to T. Henry, but the attempt by the attacking leader of "Arsenal" to head the ball over the defenders was blocked by C. Arzo.
Ten minutes later, Marcos Senna's long shot was caught by the vigilant J. Lehmann, and "Arsenal" scored another goal, which was again disallowed due to offside. The tension grew, and at the end of the match, the field witnessed a tough battle. Taking control, "Villarreal" launched one attack after another, but the record-breaking "Arsenal" defensive line held firm - the only dangerous attempt from J. Riquelme from long range was off-target.
Just before the final whistle, "Arsenal" veteran Dennis Bergkamp was close to scoring the second goal, but Javi Venta managed to clear the ball before he could score. The result remained unchanged, so "Arsenal," not conceding a goal for the ninth consecutive match in the league, secured a victory and gained a slight advantage before the second leg match in Villarreal next week.
