Almunia's heroes reap their rewards
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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Arsenal FC goalkeeper Manuel Almunia may only have made one save in the 7-6 penalty shoot-out victory against AS Roma but it was enough to help the Gunners through. "I'm not the hero – we are all heroes," he said.
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Arsenal FC goalkeeper Manuel Almunia may only have made one save in the 7-6 penalty shoot-out victory against AS Roma but it was enough to help his side through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
No hero
The Spaniard beat out Mirko Vučinić's spot-kick with Arsenal trailing after Eduardo's initial miss. Following eleven more successes for both sides he then saw Max Tonetto's penalty fly high over his bar before being buried under a sea of yellow shirts. "I'm not the hero – we are all heroes tonight," Almunia said. "In those situations, the penalty takers should carry the glory because they are the ones who feel the pressure and have to hold their nerve. There might be a bit more pressure when you miss your first kick but penalties are always high pressure situations. Sorry to the fans for not saving more than one, but it was enough. Our boys showed maturity and I'm proud of them."
Double save
Defender Juan struck for Roma on nine minutes to level the aggregate scores at 1-1. The home side continued to have the better of the remaining chances but Almunia stood tall, thwarting Francesco Totti's persistent attempts to raise the roof of the Stadio Olimpico. One double save from Marco Motta and Rodrigo Taddei on 23 minutes was particularly memorable. "The double save came early in the game when I wasn't confident how the game was going," was Almunia's take on that action.
Fair result
"We knew that Roma would come at us in the first 20 minutes. They had some chances but after that the team worked really hard," continued the 31-year-old. "We defended well and were physically better. I think 1-0 was about right because we didn't have that many chances ourselves." Despite the sudden-death finish, the bleached-blond goalkeeper felt Arsenal were deserved winners overall. "We were far better in the first leg," he added. "We deserved to win that game three or four-nil."
English quartet
Arsenal's No1 has no preference in next week's quarter-final draw, in which all four English clubs will take apart alongside FC Barcelona, Villarreal CF, FC Bayern München and FC Porto, whom the Gunners both beat (4-0) and lost to (2-0) in the group stage: "We are full of confidence and are looking forward to the draw – there's nobody we fear."
