Being a Manchester United fan has spoiled me over the last 2 decades. Being used to success has become second nature. Things have gone downhill in last few years after the great Fergie decided to put his coat up the hanger. And thus have ensued many European nights of delights. Whether be it the first great UCL game witnessed by me when United overcame Bayern Munich at Camp Nou on 26th May 1999. The night which cemented my loyalty towards United. Or whether it is the amazing night in Moscow when unlucky Terry slip gifted us the trophy. Or the Night of the stars at Old Trafford when Real Madrid visited us and we beat them 4-3. though losing on overall goal tally. The night that belonged to the great Brazillian - Ronaldo Nazario. However my favorite European Night came in the form of a non United match. There have been quite a few great contenders over the years, most importantly the heart racing night in Istambul when Pool turned the tables on Milan in second half. A night that will go down in the memories as one of the greatest that Europe has seen or the Chelsea Monaco 2nd leg at Stamford bridge when Monaco overcame the Blues. But for me this honor goes to the monumental match at Highbury when Real Visited Arsenal for the round of 16 second leg in March 2006 (Still hazy on the exact date). This was arguably the biggest tie in the history of Arsenal Football club in Europe. Metting the Galacticos at Bernabeu and then back home in London looked to be a tasty affair. However no one was giving Arsenal a chance at the tie. The Los Blancos boasted of an enviable group of stars - Zizou, Becks, Ronaldo, Figo, Raul, Carlos and Casillas. What seemed like an initial cakewalk for the Whites suddenly toppled when Henry in form of his life silenced Bernabeu in one of his most memorable performances. That was a shocking blow. Arsenal came out winners in the first leg 1-0. Real pushed and pushed but Arsenal held their own. They were resilient, resilient to the core. And they were a team I grew up hating as they were the real competition to United in the early 2000s. But this was just the first leg. This was Real Madrid. They were bound to come on top in the second leg. 2 weeks later, they met in 'The Big Smoke'. North London never had such decorated visitors before. It was truly the city if joy and festivities.
The kick off time in India was around 12:45 that night. I was glued to the TV, those were different days. There was nothing to distract me. This was a night that I couldn't miss even intentionally. Blancos were in town. What followed was a night that will stay with me till the grave.
How many nil-nil encounters have sent your blood pumping and your eyes widening? Probably few. But none like this. What London saw that night was miracle. Arsenal overcame Real 1-0 based on the advantage that their Talisman had provided in the first leg. However this 0-0 became a thing of folklore. This match literally defined what we call casually 'end to end stuff'. Reyes hit the woodwork twice in the match while Raul on the other hand hit it once on a brilliant first time effort. The match was like an adrenaline rush. It was 90 minutes of relentlessness. Attack after attack. Alexander Hleb was in the form of his life. Dictating the midfield which feature names like Zidane, Beckham and Guti on the other side. Henry was at his sublime best, controlling the final third. Real threw everything at Arsenal, Robninho had great moments, Beckham came close twice only to be denied by Lehmann and some desperate defending. Ronaldo was denied once in the early stages of the match. Every moment of the match literally comes alive whenever I think of it. Imagine this scene. The match is in its last few moments, Real have a corner, Casillas is up in the box as well. This is now or never. Desperate times requiring desperate measures. Robert Pires shot from the half-way line, but Robert Carlos raced back to clear off the line. Martin Tyler and Andy Gray almost became breathless = 'He never stops running' . These were the lines from an exasperated Tyler. I am sure they had one of the hardest days of their life, commentating on such a spectacle. When match was over, viewers around the world would have been sweating like the players on the pitch. Ronaldo and Henry exchanged shirts. It was a loss for Madrid but the qualms didnt look obvious. It was a night to behold for the players, viewers and everyone alike.
The season turned out quite good for the Gunners as they made their way to the Finals where they were eventually shut down by another Spanish giant in Barcelona. Many European nights have passed, but I am still to feel that intensity, that adrenaline that I felt that night in London. It was as if I was in the middle of the action. This match single handedly summed Champions League to me. I will like to present a small Ode to those great European nights before shutting up
It's midnight,everything silent
few dogs bark, a few lament
The kick off time in India was around 12:45 that night. I was glued to the TV, those were different days. There was nothing to distract me. This was a night that I couldn't miss even intentionally. Blancos were in town. What followed was a night that will stay with me till the grave.
How many nil-nil encounters have sent your blood pumping and your eyes widening? Probably few. But none like this. What London saw that night was miracle. Arsenal overcame Real 1-0 based on the advantage that their Talisman had provided in the first leg. However this 0-0 became a thing of folklore. This match literally defined what we call casually 'end to end stuff'. Reyes hit the woodwork twice in the match while Raul on the other hand hit it once on a brilliant first time effort. The match was like an adrenaline rush. It was 90 minutes of relentlessness. Attack after attack. Alexander Hleb was in the form of his life. Dictating the midfield which feature names like Zidane, Beckham and Guti on the other side. Henry was at his sublime best, controlling the final third. Real threw everything at Arsenal, Robninho had great moments, Beckham came close twice only to be denied by Lehmann and some desperate defending. Ronaldo was denied once in the early stages of the match. Every moment of the match literally comes alive whenever I think of it. Imagine this scene. The match is in its last few moments, Real have a corner, Casillas is up in the box as well. This is now or never. Desperate times requiring desperate measures. Robert Pires shot from the half-way line, but Robert Carlos raced back to clear off the line. Martin Tyler and Andy Gray almost became breathless = 'He never stops running' . These were the lines from an exasperated Tyler. I am sure they had one of the hardest days of their life, commentating on such a spectacle. When match was over, viewers around the world would have been sweating like the players on the pitch. Ronaldo and Henry exchanged shirts. It was a loss for Madrid but the qualms didnt look obvious. It was a night to behold for the players, viewers and everyone alike.
The season turned out quite good for the Gunners as they made their way to the Finals where they were eventually shut down by another Spanish giant in Barcelona. Many European nights have passed, but I am still to feel that intensity, that adrenaline that I felt that night in London. It was as if I was in the middle of the action. This match single handedly summed Champions League to me. I will like to present a small Ode to those great European nights before shutting up
It's midnight,everything silent
few dogs bark, a few lament
This is the night of stars
A silver cup and so many wars
Mingling into those realms
These sleepless nights and million dreams
The ultimate glory, the ultimate pride
Many fall, the best survive
The best stories are being told
Europe at war, Behold!
