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After yesterday's return leg of UEFA Champions League semi-final match between Arsenal and Villarreal, London team's strategist Arsene Wenger had only words of praise for his goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who cold-bloodedly saved the eleven-meter penalty shot at the end of the match and therefore secured a ticket to the final of the most prestigious European football tournament for his team.
The German heroically blocked a poorly executed eleven-meter penalty shot by Juan Roman Riquelme in the last minute of the match, helping Arsenal maintain a goalless draw, which was all the English club needed in order to participate in the decisive battle for the title of the strongest European team on May 17th in Paris. Discussing the penalty shot, A. Wenger said, "It was a very generous decision, but at that moment I told myself that if this year is really our year, Jens will save the penalty shot. I knew he had a strong character and that he would not give up easily, with Riquelme's immense pressure making the task even more difficult. I felt that his main concern was hitting the target and not the corner of the goal, as he was afraid to shoot wide. It had to do with psychological reasons and Jens guessed right. However, it was not only good training that helped him, it was more like playing chess."
Last year, J. Lehmann was on the verge of leaving the Highbury stadium after making several mistakes, but suddenly he became the "golden boy." Wenger continued, "When I think about how he arrived in England at the beginning and how much he has improved since then, it is undeniable that he deserves a lot of respect."
Arsenal did not play well and Villarreal constantly pressured their opponents, but they failed to capitalize on their opportunities until Gael Clichy pushed Jose Mari in the penalty area, giving the hosts an excellent chance to equalize the aggregate score of the two matches. Wenger added, "I was worried. Despite showing character, we couldn't find our game. By constantly rushing, we kept losing the ball too quickly, which of course was the opponent's credit. We wanted to reach the final so badly. In the end, luck and the character we demonstrated helped us. We will see a completely different Arsenal in the final. We will recover physically, and no matter what happens, we have everything we need for a victory. We will give everything in that match. And I truly believe we can win."
The coach also praised Sol Campbell, who played the first 90 minutes after almost a three-month break and whose head was split open by an object thrown by spectators in the second half. Wenger said, "Sol played a good game. He had a lot of work and couldn't relax for a moment. Look at how long he was out and how well he played - I am very satisfied with him."
Arsenal's coach will travel to his native France next month to compete for the Champions League trophy. He stated, "Last time, when the final was held in Paris, two Spanish teams played, and therefore, before the match, I was a little worried that history could repeat itself. But now I am very happy. I would go anywhere in the world to play the Champions League final, but the final in Paris means a little more to me."
Meanwhile, Villarreal's head coach Manuel Pellegrini was disappointed after his team was eliminated from the tournament, despite being so close to their dream goal. Pellegrini said, "It's hard to explain how I feel. We were a better team, better than Arsenal in the first match at the Highbury stadium, and we deserved to be in the final. We had four or five chances to score, and then even an eleven-meter penalty shot. Until the very last minute, I believed we could do it. My players are very disappointed. I am proud of how they played, but they were unlucky."
