Sanogo breaks Arsenal hearts

Away games are always tough. Especially when there are two of them on the trot against very very good opponents. This was the situation that Arsene Wenger and his boys faced. After their win in the first game, they had to play two tough teams on what would surely be a very eventful road trip.

Weserstadion was the first stop. The game kicked off and both teams exchanged fire from the word go. The first half hour was a very tight game defensively. With the match dead even, it surely had to be a moment of magic to break the deadlock. Eduardo delivered exactly what the doctor ordered. He collected a good pass from his strike partner, Van Persie, skipped across a couple of defenders and let loose a thundering shot. The ball hit it top corner of the net at the 41st minute to trigger celeberations in the Arsenal camp. The team celebrated one moment too long maybe, when Sanogo, with the balance and poise of a ballet dancer, began his run from the middle of the field, all the way into the box and punched through an inch perfect low shot past an advancing Lehmann. 1-1 the score read and it was dead even when the teams went into the break.

After the break defense prevailed again, and for a long period of time, the game went from one end to the other, providing many heart stopping moments for the spectators. Again, it truly needed something special to put one team ahead. This time it was Almedia who delivered when he showed nerves of steel to cap a good run with a brilliant shot into the back of the net. Arsenal were down but not out as they persevered for the equaliser. Eduardo returned the favour he had recieved in the first half from his skipper, playing an inch perfect pass to Van Persie, who calmly netted the equaliser. All was level again and both teams were still hungry. Walcott and Adebayor were brought into the game at the expense of Hleb and Eduardo, as Arsenal pressed for that one elusive goal. It increasingly looked like the game would indeed end in a draw as it entered the final minutes.

But it was the home team who came up trumps. Sanogo who had troubled the defence through out the game once again proved his class and ability to don the mantle of a genuine match winner. In the penultimate minute of the regular time, he dodged two defenders, beat the goal keeper, deposited the ball into the back of the net and also 3 points in the bank for Werder Bremen. Fittingly he was given the Man of the Match, an incredible finish to an incredible game.

Arsenal were defeated by a very good performance from the German team, but they can take heart from this game. They fought and lost, but importanly fought hard.

They are now headed to Nou Camp, where they take on their former skipper and may be prove to him, why he should never have left London.