Fabulous Fabregas fires Gunners

PARIS: Arsenal produced perhaps one of its finest performances under Arsene Wenger on Tuesday to dethrone AC Milan, beating the Champions League holder 2-0 on the night and on aggregate in its last-16 second leg clash.

Arsenal's great Premiership rival Manchester United - who had started a run of four matches without a win for the Gunners prior to Tuesday - also eased through with a 1-0 victory at home to six-time French champion Lyon thanks to Portuguese wizard Cristiano Ronaldo's 30th goal in 30 matches this term.

Turkish side Fenerbahce also produced an outstanding away performance as it made the last eight for the first time, beating Spanish outfit Sevilla in a penalty shootout after the match ended 5-5 on aggregate (3-2 to Sevilla on the night).

That ended the host's dreams of a third successive European crown having won the last two UEFA Cups.

Spanish pride was saved by Barcelona, who downed Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final, as it beat Celtic 1-0 in Barcelona thanks to an early goal by Xavi for a 4-2 aggregate win.

It was Arsenal, though, who really pulled out all the stops to become the first English side to beat AC Milan at the San Siro and complete a full house as it were having already beaten Inter Milan there before.

Late goals by Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor - his first-ever Champions League goal - saw the Gunners into the last eight and understandably left manager Arsene Wenger with a smile like a Cheshire Cat.

"We produced the match we wanted to," said the Frenchman.

"I am very proud. It is wonderful for a young team to knock out such a side as AC Milan.

"It is good for the future of the team, but also for the individual players."

AC Milan handler Carlo Ancelotti may be staring at an empty trophy cabinet - save the largely ceremonial European Super Cup and World Club Cup - for this season with his side out of contention for Serie A and out of the Italian Cup, but the former hardman Milan and Italy midfielder was adamant about where he would be next season.

"I don't think so," he replied when asked if he would be under pressure to leave.

"We've won so many trophies lately that this defeat is nothing compared to what we won so I will go on."

He certainly got unequivocal support from the president of the club and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as to whether Ancelotti would be there next term.

"Definitely!"

Sir Alex Ferguson has certainly known some lean times, though they are now a distant memory as they came in his early days at Manchester United. But thanks to Ronaldo his dreams of a second Champions League trophy remain alive.

And the Scotsman was happy to join in the praise of the Portuguese star.

"It is fantastic. It takes a rare player to do that (30 goals in 30 games) and it is a great contribution.

"There was no target set for him at the beginning of the season, but that is what we look for in our young squad.

"Ten wins in 10 Champions League home matches is a marvelous achievement, and I would put that down to apart from the players that the pitch has improved."

Fenerbahce showed that perhaps its poor away form in European competition is a thing of the past with a display that warmed the heart of its coach and Brazilian legend Zico.

"We played with great courage and gave a good account of ourselves away from home in a ferocious atmosphere," said Zico, who moved to Turkey following his stewardship of Japan, which ended after the 2006 World Cup.

Barcelona's expected progress through to the next stage was overshadowed by another injury to Argentinian star Lionel Messi, which looks like him missing a month and the likelihood of the first leg of the quarterfinals.

All of which left Barca coach Frank Rijkaard looking more like the losing coach.

"Messi's injury has over-shadowed the night. It has affected everybody," said Rijkaard.

The last word, though, belongs to Wenger - who knows how injuries to players can affect a club after Eduardo's awful injury over a week ago - and what lies ahead for future rivals.

"My players are hungry."

The club next on Arsenal's menu has been warned.

AFP

(China Daily 03/06/2008 page24)