Europa League
Black Panther Aubameyang Leads Arsenal Into Europa Quarter Final
After losing the first leg of the tie 3-1, Arsenal faced a daunting task Thursday night hosting Rennes. Surprisingly to many, the Gunners handled the challenge with aplomb. The English side kept a second consecutive clean sheet and managed to put three goals past their French opposition. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lead the way with a brace while Ainsley Maitland-Niles contributed his second goal for the club. The 4-3 aggregate score line was enough to send Arsenal through to the quarter finals of the Europa League. Meanwhile, Rennes’ deepest ever run in European competition was abruptly halted.
Unai Emery appears to have realized that Arsenal are a better team when he plays his best players. He again managed to start Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Özil, Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Arsenal improved to 6-0 when that group starts together. The Gunners also improved to eight wins, four draws and zero defeats when Özil starts with Lacazette and Aubameyang. Mattéo Guendouzi was again left on the bench. It is becoming clear Arsenal must rely on more experienced stars to guide the club back into the Champions League.
A Blistering Start
The first leg had been a disaster for Arsenal. Thankfully, they at least had an away goal to take with them to London. Therefore, a 2-0 win at home would have sufficed to send the Gunners through. It was clear that an early goal would be pivotal to Arsenal’s mission on the night. Fortunately, Arsenal did one better and led by two goals inside 15 minutes.
The first goal came four minutes in. Maitland-Niles did well down the right wing and found Ramsey in the box with a defender pinned to his back. The Welshman controlled the pass, turned and fired ball across the face of goal in quick succession. As he so often does, Aubameyang sniffed out the space where the ball would end up. His clever movement resulted in a tap in from close range, a quintessential poacher’s goal.
Arsenal’s second arrived ten minutes later clouded in controversy. Ramsey’s pass for Sead Kolašinac found the Bosnian offside. Wisely, the wing-back decided not to play the ball. Aubameyang alertly sprinted to reach the ball as it reached the end line. He managed to keep the ball in play and loft a brilliant cross that was headed home by Maitland-Niles at the far post.
Rennes had switched off, expecting the offside flag to be raised or the ball to be ruled out for a goal kick. They found no reprieve from the referee despite replays showing that Aubameyang, like Kolašinac, was offside when Ramsey’s original pass was played.
A Tumultuous Affair
This match won’t be remembered as an advert for the most virtuous aspects of the sport. There was too much at stake. Arsenal were at risk of an embarrassing exit from the Europa League at the hands of a much smaller club. Rennes were hoping to advance to their first ever quarter final in European competition. Therefore, football’s dark-arts were on full-display.
The match featured eight yellow cards. Seemingly every foul saw players embellishing the contact while their teammates attempted to coax the referee into booking the offender. Rennes were most guilty of being provocateurs, particularly after falling behind early. The French club had dominated Arsenal after the Gunners were red-carded in the first leg. It appeared blatantly obvious Rennes were hoping to create another numerical advantage this time around. Ultimately, the referee deserved credit for keeping tempers under control and the match at 11v11.
The Masked Man Steals the Spotlight
Arsenal had dominated the first half, but still lead only on away goals. If Rennes scored, they would again be on course for the upset. Unsurprisingly, nerves began to take hold at the Emirates early in the second half when Rennes hit the post. Arsenal were struggling to get a foothold in the game as the minutes wore on. Arsenal had exerted enormous energy to defeat Manchester United on the weekend, and players began to tire.
Emery responded by bringing on Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and immediately the Gunners found their insurance goal. Kolašinac delivered a perfectly weighted cross that slid past two defenders for Aubameyang to tap in. Ever the showman, the Gabonese striker ran behind the goal and suddenly appeared wearing a Black Panther mask. He crossed his arms in front of him to recreate the famous X featured in the film while his teammates celebrated behind him. It was truly a remarkable sight.
Somehow, the drama wasn’t done for the night. Aubameyang was predictably yellow carded for his antics which had riled up Rennes. Arsenal still had over twenty minutes to navigate in order to see out the tie. Strangely enough, Aubameyang missed two glaring chances for a hat trick in quick succession after donning the mask. Rennes only needed to score to send the match to extra time. Fortunately for Aubameyang, Rennes never found the away goal they needed, despite some late brilliance from Hatem Ben Arfa.
England’s European Dominance Continues
Conventional wisdom maintains that England boasts the best league in the world. Critics of that theory point to the lack of success of English teams in European competition lately. However, this season the superiority of Premier League teams is glaring. Arsenal and Chelsea both advanced into the Europa League quarter finals. Therefore, all six English teams competing in Europe have reached the final eight of their competition.
In the Champions League, Manchester City thrashed Lyon 10-3 on aggregate. Liverpool accomplished the rare feat of beating Munich in Germany to advance 3-1 on aggregate. Spurs managed to dominate what was expected to be an even matchup against Dortmund, winning 4-0 on Aggregate. Lastly, a shorthanded Manchester United managed to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit on the road against powerhouse PSG.
In Europe’s secondary competition, the Europa League, Chelsea hammered Kyiv 8-0 on aggregate. Arsenal rounded out England’s sweet sixteen sweep with their 4-3 aggregate win over Rennes. Because England’s top six all remain alive in Europe mean nobody will have the advantage of being able to focus solely on the Premier League. As a result, the tight races for the league title and top four will be decided by how well teams are able to juggle their European and domestic commitments.
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