14 They think its all over ... After matchday three provided plenty more late drama, Paul Simpson argues that the final 15 minutes of UEFA Champions League games are perhaps the most important of all. Football, as the cliche goes, is a game of two halves. Yet in the UEFA Champions League, that is increasingly untrue. If anything, European football is a game of six 15-minute intervals in which the last is the most crucial. Klaas-jan Huntelaar scored first against Arsenal FC on matchday three Arsène Wenger once purported the following: “From a coaching perspective, the key element of the UEFA Champions League is the last ten to 15 minutes.” On matchday three, FC Schalke 04 proved him right – much to his chagrin – by snatching three points at the Arsenal Stadium with goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (76) and Ibrahim Afellay (86). That was not the only late swing in the competition on matchday three. In the last 15 minutes, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos FC and FC Porto all turned one point into three with winning goals, while Galatasaray AŞ salvaged a draw at home to CFR 1907 Cluj. So far this season, 36 out of 136 UEFA www.vistacostablanca.com Champions League goals have been scored in the last 15 minutes or even in secondhalf added time. If UEFA Champions League games lasted 75 minutes, Barcelona and Porto would have five points apiece (instead of nine) and Real Madrid CF would have three (rather than six). Is this a step change? Sceptics might think not. After all, there has been no shortage of decisive goals in the last 15 minutes in previous campaigns – Didier Drogba’s equaliser in the 2011/12 final set Chelsea FC on their way to victory. jordi Alba breaks Celtic hearts Yet Wenger may have a point when he suggests that teams are increasingly keeping their powder dry, knowing the last 15 minutes could prove vital. Take the final quarter-hour – or 19 minutes if you include stoppage time – that broke Celtic FC hearts at the Camp Nou. In that period, the Blaugrana forced three corners, missed the target four times, were denied by Emilio Izaguirre and Victor Wanyama, made two substitutions, had one player (Adriano) booked and scored the winner (Jordi Alba) with virtually the last kick. This kind of action is increasingly the norm. It is as if some invisible hand is speeding up the action, ratcheting up the pressure at the very point when players are physically and mentally most vulnerable. Sides that want to flourish in the UEFA Champions League have to compete in this late, late show in which the winners so often take it all. Afellay y Huntelaar tumban al Arsenal Dos goles a falta de 15 minutos de los visitantes por parte de la dupla holandesa le dieron el liderato del Grupo B a los ‘gunners’. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar e Ibrahim Afellay marcaron en los últimos 15 minutos para convertir al FC Schalke 04 en el primer equipo visitante que vence en el estadio del Arsenal, y superando así al equipo inglés para ubicarse en la cima del Grupo B. Los locales habían vencido en los dos primeros partidos de esta competición y estaban invictos en 16 encuentros Europeos en el norte de Londres. De hecho, la última vez que cayeron en casa ante un equipo no inglés fue en septiembre del 2003. El Schalke, por su parte, cuajó un gran partido que a la postre le sirvió para llevarse la victoria con un gol de Huntelaar a falta de 14 minutos para el final. Diez minutos más tarde, fue el turno de Afellay para darle a los alemanes su primera victoria en Inglaterra en su sexto intento. La única vez que se habían enfrentado fue en la temporada 2001/02 en la fase de grupos cuando ambos equipos vencieron en sus partidos en casa y se mostraron radiantes. El Arsenal fue el primero en avisar tras un centro de Lukas Podolski que fue rematado por Gervinho, y aunque los visitantes no perdían la compostura, Santi Cazorla también estuvo cerca de anotar, pero su remate fue enviado al córner. Continuar en pagina 19
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