Fortune favours 'fearless' Braga
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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Domingos Paciência said SC Braga "forgot their fear" after beating Arsenal FC 2-0 to keep their hopes alive as Arsène Wenger bemoaned injuries to Cesc Fàbregas and Emmanuel Eboué.
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SC Braga coach Domingos Paciência put his side's late surge to beat Arsenal FC 2-0 and keep their UEFA Champions League Group H hopes alive down to them "forgetting their fear" in the second half. Arsenal remain ahead of Braga in second on head-to-head record but along with the defeat, Arsène Wenger was frustrated by injuries to Cesc Fàbregas and Emmanuel Eboué.
Domingos Paciência, Braga coach
I felt the team found it very difficult to keep the ball [in the first half]. We knew that it wasn't easy to play against a team like Arsenal, as they came to control the game and though we tried to find space when we got possession back, it was hard.
It all changed in the second half. My team was more calm, forgot their fear and pressured high up the pitch, where we managed to be very effective. That was the key. Both ourselves and the fans deserved this. I was hoping that this could be a different night from all the others and fortunately it was.
We'll see what happens now. Anything could happen. We know that we had two bad results to start, at Arsenal and here against Shakhtar, but it was good for us to show our good side tonight.
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
It was a difficult performance because they never came out and we needed to be patient so didn't create many chances. For us it was about not making a mistake but unfortunately when we went ten against 11 [when Eboué went off after all three substitutions had been made] we were open at the back and made a mistake which they took advantage of.
It was a lack of communication because we opened up the centre and that's why we were punished. This was an important game but we're in a good position in the league and some players were tired. I played Fàbregas and he got injured again tonight. We're playing so many games that we have to rotate.
It's a hamstring, on the other leg, so it's difficult to predict how long he'll be out. He'll definitely miss the weekend game. Eboué will be out for a while; it's a medial knee ligament strain so he's out for a few weeks. It's a concern [that we're not through] but we'll make it. I'm confident we'll make it but we have to be a bit more patient.
