The next day, Arsenal still had a day off in Madrid.
The warm climate here is truly unforgettable.
In the evening, the whole team took a plane back to London.
On March 12, they will usher in the 31st round of the Premier League. In order to prepare for the game, they must go back early.
The draw for the Champions League quarter-finals will have to wait until next week.
Because there are other teams that have not completed the second round of the 1/8 knockout round.
Also on the day after the game, the news that Arsenal reversed Real Madrid appeared on the headlines of all sports news in Europe.
At the same time, many fans from different places are discussing this game on social software.
"This is an incredible night. Zidane lost 4231 to Arsenal at home. It turns out that Wenger's change of formation was successful. The Oriental's perfect performance once again conquered the Iberian Peninsula!"
——"Turin Sports News"
"Equation once again made history. He became the first East Asian player to score a hat trick in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. He is expected to become the first person in East Asia's history!"
——"Bild"
"After the end of this season, regardless of whether Arsenal wins the Champions League or not, the equation will once again cause huge disturbances in the transfer market, and countless wealthy teams will be crazy about him!"
——"Asian Newspaper"
"This is an epic game destined to go down in history. The teams currently entering the quarter-finals are Arsenal and Bayern Munich, and the draw for the quarter-finals will be held on March 17."
——"World Sports News"
"Before the game, few people were optimistic that Arsenal could advance, because judging from the historical record, Real Madrid has the advantage. But Arsenal does not lack advantageous players. They united together and successfully created a miracle. !Congratulations to them!”
——"Sky Sports"
Although the Champions League 1/8 knockout rounds are not over yet, this does not prevent the outside world from predicting the draw of the quarter-finals.
Arsenal fans naturally hope that the team will not be drawn against a wealthy team like Real Madrid.
The strong showdown is certainly eye-catching, but it consumes too much on the team. If something unexpected happens, this year's Champions League journey may come to an end.
After returning to North London, Arsenal took a short rest before ushering in the 31st round of the Premier League.
They went away to play against Brighton.
In recent seasons, due to Brighton's poor performance in the Premier League, any team can easily beat Brighton. So there is a new meme "whose family celebrates the New Year with Brighton dumplings".
Now all over the Premier League, seagulls are served as food and drinks.
But when Brighton's performance improves in the future, this joke will evolve into eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year, and these dumplings will be any team in the Big 6 of the Premier League.
On the day of the game, there was a light rain in Brighton, making the playing field a little slippery.
In addition, Arsenal has not recovered from the Champions League competition, and the offense after the opening was a bit weak.
Brighton naturally set up a bus and restricted Arsenal's offensive core.
As a result, the opening kick was dull.
In the 15th minute, Foss made a cross from the wing and found Harland in the penalty area.
Haaland had no space to stop the ball and his header found the outside equation.
Twenty yards from the door,
Fang Fang didn't stop the ball and kicked a low shot. The football flew out against the goal post.
Like all the fans in the audience, Fang Fang also covered his face with regret.
This is the only time they have had a threatening shot so far, which shows that the game is very difficult. If this goal is scored, it can instantly improve the situation on the field.
Brighton's head coach was still not satisfied with this, frowning and shouting to the court.
This is because they think that their players have not restricted the opponent's core.
If it were restricted, there would be no threatening shot.
Brighton defenders have trouble with Haaland,
Haaland's coverage area is not small. He is not a forward who only knows how to stand. Coupled with his strong body, it is difficult for defensive players to completely restrict him.
And Fang Fang has been hovering nearby, echoing Harland from a distance. If his teammates were not in poor condition and did not provide continuous support, they might have broken the deadlock on the field.
Of course, this also has something to do with their own status.
After all, the whole team just played against Real Madrid.
Until the 40th minute of the game, Equation took a corner kick on the right and accurately found Saliba who was competing for the top spot.
The football touched Saliba's head, changed its direction, and suddenly flew into the upper right corner of the goal.
The deadlock was finally broken and Arsenal took the lead by one goal!
Immediately, the Premier League live broadcast showed a line of important game data.
"Brighton have never reversed the first goal they have conceded at home in the Premier League 25 times before."
When some Arsenal fans saw the data in this live broadcast, they suddenly felt something was wrong in their hearts.
They played such a difficult game in this game, this data will not be unexpected today, right? ?
Sure enough, something unexpected happened.
At the end of the first half,
The Clayton goalkeeper kicked the ball forward, and then Mooy received the ball and had a physical confrontation with Thomas.
However, only Thomas unexpectedly fell to the ground.
Brighton did not stop attacking. They showed their sharp fangs. Taking advantage of Arsenal's midfielder to fall to the ground, Mooy first dribbled the ball to attract the attention of the defensive player, and then found Maupay with a through ball.
Maupay did not waste this offensive opportunity. He quickly pulled to the side and then pushed into the far corner, successfully breaking through Arsenal's goal.
Match 1:1! !
The home fans went into crazy celebrations. Although they still didn't know what the outcome of the game would be, they were already very excited that they, as the deputy squad leader of the league, could temporarily equalize a team as powerful as Arsenal.
Since losing last year until now, Brighton fans have long been eager to get a long-lost victory.
Then, before Arsenal could attack again, the first half was over.
The two teams returned to the starting line, and the whole team returned to the locker room with a bit of mixed emotions.
During the break, Wenger was a little anxious and kept talking to the players about the game. There are no underdogs in the Premier League, and the competition here is quite fierce.
Soon, at the beginning of the second half, Brighton also scored a goal based on a corner kick.
The score is 2:1!
Brighton scored very efficiently in this field, scoring in both attempts.
Arsenal can only continue to attack aggressively, this game must be won. If they fail to win, they will be further and further away from the first group in the league, and may even be caught up by the teams behind them.
By the 70th minute of the game, they still had not equalized the score. Brighton's defense was very tenacious and had blocked four threatening shots.
Every time a threatening shot is blocked, the home fans in the stands will give out huge cheers, taking full advantage of the home court advantage.
This did have a certain impact on Arsenal's momentum.
Foos lost his patience and wanted to do it alone when he got the ball. He chose to hit the goal twice in a row.
Upon seeing this, head coach Wenger had no choice but to make substitution adjustments and replace players who were in poor condition.
Finally, in the 89th minute, Fang Fang sent a through ball from the front of the penalty area, assisting Harland with a push shot.
Score 2:2
Arsenal, whose team was in poor condition, struggled to get a draw.
Fang Fang scored twice with assists, and Haaland contributed an equal amount.
In the Premier League standings, Arsenal continues to rank third, but the distance from the first group in the league is getting farther and farther.
First place, Liverpool, 76 points.
Second place, Manchester City, 75 points.
Third place, Arsenal, 63 points.
Fourth place, Manchester United, 60 points.
.
After failing to win this game, Arsenal still received some criticism.
However, more fans still believe that getting a draw is a blessing in misfortune. After all, they have just finished a Champions League battle with Real Madrid, and the large amount of physical exertion will naturally affect their subsequent performance.
A week passed quickly, and in the expectation of all fans, on March 17, the Champions League 1/8 knockout rounds ended.
The eight teams that advanced to the quarter-finals are:
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Leipzig.
Premier League: Arsenal.
La Liga: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona.
Serie A: Juventus, Atalanta.
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain.
On March 18, the draw ceremony for the Champions League quarter-finals finally arrived.
The media from the five major leagues have already been warming up to the draw ceremony one day in advance.
"Leipzig successfully defeated Tottenham Hotspur. Their performance this year was very impressive. Facts have proved that the Bundesliga is still competitive!"
——"Bild"
"Two teams in Serie A advanced to the quarterfinals this year. Juventus once again launched a charge for the Champions League trophy. The Apennine Peninsula needs to use the Champions League trophy to revive!"
——"Turin Sports News"
"Manchester City's defeat is regrettable, and Liverpool also lost to the tenacious Atletico Madrid. Tottenham's upset was beyond everyone's expectations. It is rare that only one team in the Premier League successfully advanced to the quarterfinals this year. I hope Arsenal can draw Winning a good lottery.”
——"The Times"
"There is no weak team in the Champions League. Messi once again led Barcelona to attack the Champions League trophy this year. He wants to win the Ballon d'Or again next year!"
——"Marca"
.
On the night of the quarter-final draw, the entire Arsenal team gathered outside again to watch the draw ceremony.
"This year's top eight are all teams from the five major leagues." Saka said, holding a bowl of healthy vegetable salad, "Which team should we draw better?"
Haaland said confidently: "We have even beaten Real Madrid anyway, so why are we afraid of other teams? Let's just draw Barcelona. I actually want to play against Messi."
Fang Fang smiled and said: "You want to compete with Messi? I don't even want to expose it. You just want Messi's game jersey, right?"
Haaland defended: "How could it be possible? I don't know yet whether Messi will agree to exchange jerseys with me."
After saying that, everyone laughed tacitly.
Soon, the draw for the quarterfinals officially began, and tonight’s draw guests announced the first draw for the top half.
Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid!
The faces of the teammates all changed more or less.
Because rationally speaking, although Leipzig upset Tottenham Hotspur, their strength is actually not strong among the top eight.
If Arsenal can draw Leipzig, their chances of advancing will be much higher.
This is not about fearing other opponents, but about analyzing the situation from the perspective of objective facts.
It's a pity that Simeone was lucky. They drew the Bundesliga team Leipzig.
Then, the second draw for the top half began, and the draw guests announced the results.
Atalanta vs Arsenal!
"Ohh, it's Atalanta! European goddess, a team from Serie A!"
The teammates couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
“Isn’t it one of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain??”
"European goddess? Why do you say Atlanta is a goddess??"
"Look at their team logo. Isn't it the symbol of a goddess?"
"So that's it. I think they are currently ranked third in Serie A. Their overall strength should not be the strongest in Serie A, right??"
After hearing this question from my teammate,
Fang Fang hesitated for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed.
In the past few seasons in Serie A, Atlanta has played offensive football. Compared with other Serie A teams known for their defense, their playing style is very open and open, just like a Premier League team, and currently ranks first in Serie A in terms of goals scored.
The European goddess has a strong offensive ability in the frontcourt, otherwise she would not advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
However, compared with other top eight wealthy teams, this draw is barely good.
"It's not bad. As long as we don't draw a team with a particularly tough defense, I feel like everything else is acceptable," Fang Fang said somewhat happily.
He dislikes teams that have a bus in the backfield.
Teammates think so too. Especially in the last game, they just had a difficult draw with Brighton.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, in the live broadcast, the Champions League host suddenly came over and explained that there was a technical failure in the draw between Arsenal and Atalanta, and the draw needed to be done again!
"??!!!"
The entire Arsenal team has an "EXM" look on their faces. Is this a joke?
Can technical problems arise in a simple lottery ceremony?
"Did I understand correctly? Is UEFA targeting us?"
"This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a bizarre thing, and it happened to me!"
The teammates couldn't help but spit out the fragrance, feeling that it was too dark!
The equation has become accustomed to strange things. I can only say that it will last a long time.
And the lottery ceremony is still going on,
The second pick in the top half becomes Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atalanta.
then,
It’s the first draw in the second half: Bayern Munich vs Barcelona.
There is no need to draw the second lottery in the lower half.
The only ones left in the pool are Arsenal and Juventus!
When the teammates saw this result, they were filled with joy again.
The equation was suddenly speechless.
Can UEFA hear his voice? In the end, they were actually assigned an old lady team, which is known for its defense.
Even if the Old Lady's defense is very tough, they are still number one in Serie A.
The most important thing is that if they bite off the "old woman", a tough nut in Serie A, they will have to face Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Because their four teams are in the bottom half. Only after playing can you advance to the finals.
Seeing this result, Fang Fang felt like he was about to be sickened by UEFA.
(End of chapter)
