Cúper joy at Highbury masterclass

By Trevor Haylett in London

Internazionale FC coach Héctor Cúper has no hesitation in describing his team's performance in winning 3-0 at Arsenal FC as "near to perfection".

Comprehensive win
It hardly needs stating that had Inter been offered this scoreline before kick-off they would have grabbed it with both hands. Opening games in the UEFA Champions League are not supposed to be this comprehensive - especially at the home of one of the favoured teams.

'Very tight'
A delighted Cúper said: "We played very tight at the back and gave no space to Arsenal. We know they have very skilful players and this strategy won us the game." It was a remarkable victory, all parcelled up in a stunning first half in which Inter scored three times in 19 minutes to make goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's European debut for Arsenal an uncomfortable experience. 

Strange night
With the score at 2-0 Thierry Henry also was unable to convert a penalty, but ironically it was the defensive problems Arsenal were thought to have solved that contributed to their demise on a strange night for the home supporters - they are not used to seeing their illustrious team lose, especially by this margin, at Highbury.

Defensive worries
Manager Arsène Wenger had said before the Group B fixture that it was instability at the back that had cost them a place in last season's quarter-finals but he believed the early evidence of a new campaign suggested that matters had been put right. That theory was undermined as Cúper's hard-working side starred on the first competitive meeting of the two teams.

Mesmerising spell
The first two goals, struck in a mesmerising two-minute spell midway through the first half, both arose down Arsenal's right side. First a momentary lapse in concentration following a throw allowed Martins to nod Julio Cruz into space. His clipped finish over a lunging Lehmann was nicely judged.

Superbly struck
The second was superbly struck on the volley by Andy van der Meyde, like Cruz a summer signing for the Italian club. The former AFC Ajax winger worked hard for his team all night and got his reward with the sweetest of connections from a Kily González cross.

Van der Meyde delighted
Unsurprisingly the Dutchman says he is enjoying his time with Inter after their winning start to the Serie A season and now this triumph. "It was a nice result," Van der Meyde said. "It is not an easy place to come to but in the end we have won easily."

Three chances, three goals
He added: "We had three chances and scored three goals and after that we defended well. You know that with Italian teams when the ball is in dangerous areas the tackles will come in and we made it difficult for Arsenal to get back into it."    

Wenger reacts
Nonetheless, Wenger claimed the scoreline did not reflect the difference in the performance levels of the two teams. "We had a lot of possession and if we had scored first it could have been a very different game," he said.

Turning point
He described the first goal as "cheap" and said the game's second turning point was the missed penalty. Marco Materazzi barged into Fredrik Ljungberg but Henry's attempt was underhit and enabled Francesco Toldo to save.

Capable deputies
After that Kolo Touré twice came to Arsenal's rescue with timely interventions but on a third occasion the teenage Obafemi Martins was not to be denied. Inter's injured strikers, Christian Vieri and Alvaro Recoba, had more than capable deputies.