Braga celebrate return of Champions League by posting Arsenal gamble that backfired
Arsenal fans will be gearing up for their long-awaited return to the Champions League on Wednesday.
But Braga have taken the opportunity to remind the Gunners of a horrible night in 2010.
The Portuguese club are also back in Europe’s elite competition and host Napoli on Wednesday night.
Their two previous appearances, in 2010/11 and 2012/13, both ended in group stage eliminations – but Arsenal were the victims of a famous night at the Estadio Municipal de Braga.
After getting thumped 6-0 at the Emirates, the side staged a famous late victory over Arsene Wenger’s side in the return fixture.
Matheus struck in the 83rd minute and then added a sensational second in injury time to shock the Premier League giants.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s fixtures, Braga posted a video of their former striker dancing through the Gunners and rifling an unstoppable shot past Lucasz Fabianski.
It made Arsenal sweat over qualification for the last-16, although a victory over Partizan Belgrade in their final group match eventually sealed the deal.
However, the shock defeat at Braga capped off a miserable week for the Gunners.
Wenger’s side had just lost at home to Tottenham for the first time in 17 years, throwing away a two-goal lead in the process.
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They then lost Fabregas to injury as well as Emmanuel Eboue in Portugal and Wenger wasn’t happy with the style of play from the hosts.
He said: “We had enough on the pitch to make a goal, but football is like that when the other team focuses not to play.
“They used every single trick in the book to slow the game down.”
The decision to play Eboue didn’t work out.
“It is very disappointing because I had a hesitation to play him before the match started,” Wenger said.
“I took the gamble and it backfired on us.”
In the knockout stage, Arsenal managed a stunning victory over Barcelona in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
But Pep Guardiola’s legendary side would prove too much for them at the Nou Camp.
Mikel Arteta’s men will hope to create better memories when they host PSV Eindhoven in their first Champions League match since the 2016/17 season on Wednesday.
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