In the home team's locker room at Highbury Stadium, Manager Arsène Wenger was giving his final tactical analysis and mobilization.
These had been explained many times before, so some players were listening attentively, while some players' attention was attracted by the LCD TV screen in the locker room.
The TV was playing a video of the match. It was Arsenal's home match against Inter Milan in the 20032004 UEFA Champions League.
The match was on November 25, 2003, a date that countless Arsenal fans would remember.
If Arsenal had lost at the Meazza Stadium on November 25, 2003 and been eliminated from the Champions League, people would have quickly forgotten this date.
Two months ago, Arsenal suffered a crushing defeat at the feet of Inter Milan at Highbury. In the second leg of the group stage match at the Meazza Stadium, unless Arsenal won, they would be eliminated early.
In the end, Wenger's team overcame their injuries, as well as the shadow of a crushing defeat at home in the first leg. While taking away the victory, they also created the biggest home defeat for the Milan City powerhouse club in the 47 years of European competition.
For the Arsenal fans who came from afar, this was a night to be proud of. They slaughtered Inter Milan in the away game with a score of 5-1!
There was no doubt that the shining star of this special performance was Thierry Henry. Henry.
In the 25th minute, the French striker broke the deadlock with an instinctive shot. Although Inter Milan relied on Christian Vidal in the first half, Vieri equalized the score, but Arsenal quickly regained control of the game.
Four minutes after the half-time interval, Henry passed to Freddy. In Ljungberg, the Swede once again helped the Gunners to exceed the score. Then the Frenchman scored another goal five minutes before the end of the game.
Receiving Parlour's header from the center line, Henry dribbled the ball all the way forward and got rid of the Argentina national team captain, Javier Zárate, twice. After Zanetti's entanglement, the Frenchman's left foot shot broke through the defense of Francesco Zlatan. The goal guarded by Francesco Toldo. This goal perfectly displayed Henry's superhuman abilities – speed, strength, technique, and a lethal strike.
With Inter Milan's defense collapsing, there were more wonderful moments for the Arsenal fans to enjoy. After being replaced by Gemmell? Before Aliadiere was substituted off, Henry launched an attack to help Edu score the fourth goal. Robert Pires finally sealed the score at 5-1.
Arsène? Wenger's team was the best in the Premier League, but their ability in European competitions was criticized by the outside world. This match was undoubtedly a perfect response.
Wenger noticed that some of the players' attention was on the television. The French professor also smiled and pointed to the television screen. "The worst defeat in the history of Inter Milan was created by us. You can ask Thierry what he thinks about that game."
Everyone looked at Captain Henry.
A smile also appeared on the French star's face. "Wonderful!"
Then there was a burst of laughter in the home team's locker room.
*****
"Welcome to Highbury! You are now watching the first leg of the 20052006 UEFA Champions League semi-final match between Arsenal and Inter Milan. In the 20032004 UEFA Champions League group stage match, Inter Milan defeated Arsenal 3-0 in the first round at Highbury Stadium. However, in the Meazza Stadium, Arsenal gave Inter Milan a crushing 5-1 defeat! That was the worst defeat in the history of Inter Milan in a European competition! "
When the commentator said this, the broadcast camera gave a close-up of Highbury Stadium. In the middle of the stands, there were Arsenal fans holding up a huge banner with the words "5: 1!" written on it.
"Aha, this must be the number that Inter Milan fans hate the most!" BBC5's English commentator, Andy Gray, said with a laugh.
Then, when the players from both teams came out and the live broadcast began to broadcast Inter Milan's starting lineup, the Arsenal fans in the stadium suddenly shouted in unison, "5: 1!"
The camera immediately gave a close-up of Inter Milan's manager, Li Ang. The China manager's expression was slightly calm.
Li Ang naturally knew about Inter Milan's worst defeat in a European competition in history. It must be known that the English media and reporters had been constantly "reminding" him these days. However, Li Ang did not care. What did this have to do with him? At that time, Inter Milan's manager was not him. As long as his team could win and get past Arsenal, it would be a good result.
The Inter Milan Team's captain, Javier Zanetti, had a slightly dignified expression. His fists were slightly clenched.
As someone who had experienced that defeat, Zanetti's memory of that defeat was still fresh in his mind. In today's game, the Inter Milan Team's captain's desire to fight was extremely strong. He wanted revenge!
*****
The game had already started. Li Ang sat in the technical area.
In his hand was Arsenal's starting lineup for today: Lyman, Eboue, Touré, Sandro, Flamini, Hleb, Fàbregas, Ljungberg, Gilberto Silva, Pires, Henry.
This could be said to be the strongest lineup that Wenger could put together at the moment.
For the right back position, Eboue was the first choice. For Eboue, 2006 was the year of his breakthrough. Due to Lauren's injury, the Ivorian defender ushered in an excellent opportunity. With his outstanding running speed, the right back left a deep impression on Wenger. The French manager even compared him to the Brazilian legend, Garrincha.
In the center back position, the indestructible defensive partnership of Touré and Campbell could be said to be the anchor of Arsenal's defensive line. They also helped the Gunners win the league title with an undefeated record in the 2003-04 season. However, Campbell was suspended today due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Therefore, today, Touré's partner was Senderos. Seeing the young Swiss defender in the starting lineup, Li Ang's face showed a smile. He was looking forward to Adriano's breakthrough in Senderos's position today.
Wenger had high hopes for this talented Swiss defender. However, after Senderos was defeated by Drogba in the 2005 FA Community Shield, his form became extremely unstable. It could be said that since then, Senderos had a psychological shadow when facing a strong center forward.
Before the game, Li Ang analyzed that Wenger might send Senderos and Touré as center backs. Therefore, he especially emphasized that Adriano should keep an eye on Senderos's position and pressure the Swiss defender strongly!
It could be said that when he predicted Senderos's starting lineup, Li Ang already had a plan in mind for this game.
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