Napoli WINS but STILL Looses !!!!!!! Arsenal Looses but STILL Wins !!!
Napoli WINS but STILL Looses !!!!!!! Arsenal Looses but STILL Wins !!!
NAPOLI vs ARSENAL !!!
Result : 2-0
Group Result : Napoli finished 3rd and Arsenal finished 2nd and Borussia Dortmund finished 1st with 12 points to all of them (Based on Goal Differences the positions were decided)
Match Stats : Arsenal never looked themselves in the game , got very little chances and failed to convert any of them , Napoli needed 3 goals and a cleansheet to get through to the knockout phase or a loss of Borussia Dortmund through Marseille !!! But with all the hardwork they were just able to get 2goals only !!! Mikel Arteta got sent off during (76min') 
!!! But Still somehow Arsenal got through ...With the Best Goal Difference Borussia topped the Group (+5) , Arsenal (+3) , Napoli (+1) and Hence Even after winning Napoli got knocked out !!!
The Group Stands as :
Group F
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| Total |
|
|---|
| Clubs | P |
|
|
|
|
|
| W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|
 Borussia Dortmund | 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 12 |
 Arsenal FC | 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
 SSC Napoli | 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 12 |
 Olympique de Marseille | 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 0
| 0 | 6 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 0 | | | | |
Ten-man Arsenal advanced to the Champions League knockout phase for the 14th consecutive year despite a 2-0 loss Wednesday at Napoli, which was eliminated.
Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 73rd minute but the San Paolo stadium was
soon silenced when word arrived that Borussia Dortmund had scored a
late goal in a 2-1 win at Marseille to win Group F. Jose Callejon added
another goal for Napoli in added time but it made no difference.
Arsenal was reduced to 10 men when Mikel Arteta picked up his second
yellow card in the 76th. Dortmund, last season's runner-up, won the
group with 12 points. Arsenal and Napoli also finished with 12 but
Napoli was eliminated on goal difference, becoming the first club to
exit with 12 points under the current format. Marseille finished last in
the group with zero points.
''It just shows you in this group there were three very good teams,''
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said. ''With Marseille taking no points at
all, one team had to suffer.''
Napoli will drop into the Europa League, while Arsenal joins fellow
English clubs Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea in the last
16. ''It's incredible to exit after taking 12 of 18 points and getting
them against the best English squad and the European runner-up,''
Higuain said. ''I don't think that has ever happened.''
Despite its group-stage success, Arsenal has never won the Champions
League, losing the 2006 final to Barcelona being its best result.
Arsenal needed only a draw to be sure of advancing as group winners,
while Napoli needed to win by a three-goal margin. Wenger acknowledged
some regret at not winning the group.
''Of course there is frustration. But it could have been worse tonight
as well,'' he said then mentioned the streak of reaching the knockout
round. ''Maybe No. 14 will be good luck.''
Napoli fans whistled when Arsenal had the ball, while the group of
about 1,000 Arsenal supporters inside the visitors section at the San
Paolo stadium was mostly quiet. Wenger rested standout midfielder Aaron
Ramsey at the start, using Tomas Rosicky instead on the right wing,
while Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina missed the match with a right thigh
injury, opening the way for 23-year-old Rafael Cabral to make his
European debut.
Napoli took the initiative from the start with Goran Pandev and Higuain
threatening in attack but the Italian side had trouble getting a good
look at the net. Arsenal was content to play more patiently and seized
upon its first opportunity when Mesut Ozil set up Olivier Giroud for a
blazing shot on goal, which Cabral did well to knock away.
Napoli continued to pour forward but Arsenal defended with 10 men and
the closest the hosts' came to scoring in the first half was when a
header from Higuain went wide in the 44th after a failed clearance by
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. There was a lull in action at the
start of the second half, until Napoli left back Pablo Armero broke free
and carried the ball into the area, only to shoot directly at Szczesny.
Callejon had another good look for Napoli in the 62nd but shot wide.
Ramsey came on for Santi Cazorla in the 67th but then Napoli took
control, first with Higuain then with Callejon, who scored with a lob
shot. Despite the loss, Napoli fans gave their club a standing ovation
as they walked off.
''In the first half we controlled well. In the second half Napoli was
the better team,'' Wenger said. ''They deserved it and overall when we
were down to 10 men and 1-0 down of course doubt crept in and it was a
difficult moment for us. But we managed to keep it to one goal until
near the end.''
Wenger acknowledged his side had difficulty weighing up whether to attack or defend.
''It's always difficult to cope with that problem during a game,'' the
French manager said. ''Napoli was sharper physically than us.''
Gonzalo Higuain left the field in tears, inconsolable. Rafa Bentiez
applauded the crowd, but surely must have wished his team had taken just
one more of its chances. Napoli had won, gaining revenge on Arsenal for a bitter 2-0 loss suffered in October at the Emirates -- but it was not enough.
The Champions League's
Group of Death claimed the Italians on Wednesday night as their
splendid win at the San Paolo was not enough to progress into the round
of 16. Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win in France over already eliminated Marseille, courtesy of a late goal from Kevin Grosskreutz, condemned Napoli to an unwanted berth in the Europa League -- and put Arsenal through in their stead.
It was not a vintage Arsenal performance by any stretch, and it will
raise new questions about this side’s spine after they let a lead slip
on the weekend against Everton, missing the chance to hold a seven-point lead atop the Premier League
table. Arsene Wenger will surely point to the fact that job is indeed
done -- but privately, he will be seething after his team was reduced to
ten men by Mikel Arteta’s sending off, and failed to kill of a game
that for large portions they had dominated.
Fatigue that seems to be striking Arsenal at just the wrong time. The
Gunners have been sublime in England, winning games they should win, and
eking out points in matches that are closer. To date, the only real
midseason blip they have suffered was that draw to the Toffees; their
loss at Old Trafford was more unfortunate than anything else. And on
Wednesday, with Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott all left on
the bench, Wenger seemed to be looking ahead to a very difficult game
Saturday against Manchester City.
That allowed, for the better part of an hour, Napoli failed to
seriously trouble Arsenal, muffing chances and looking panicky when they
were on the ball. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker were stout in
the middle of the defense, and Mathieu Flamini turned in another
excellent performance, carrying the water, and doing the dirty work up
and down the center of the pitch.
That all fell apart when Arteta was sent off with 15 minutes to play.
Suddenly, Arsenal -- which only moments earlier had conceded a goal to
Higuain after a belt of sustained pressure -- looked vulnerable.
Credit Benitez for getting the tactics right: his substitution of
Lorenzo Insigne for Goran Pandev was inspired, pushing Jose Callejon up
the pitch, and forcing Carl Jenkinson into positions he could not escape
from. Pablo Armero grew into the game, becoming a steadily harassing
presence and a point of service for Higuain, who could and should have
done better on at least two other chances.
And that will have Napoli fans shaking their heads. The Italians were
close -- but not close enough in the end. For Arsenal, it was an escape.
Wenger and fans must hope it is not a precursor of things to come as
well.
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