Petr Cech gives Arsenal belief to keep Champions League dream alive

It was no coincidence the goalkeeper’s Champions League debut for Arsenal against Bayern Munich yielded a first win – but it could be too little too late

This was more like it. After the false start that was his Premier League debut for Arsenal against West Ham United, Petr Cech fared rather better on his Champions League bow. On a night that pulsed with tension and do-or-die imperatives, the goalkeeper, basically, did, in the thrilling 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium.

Afterwards, Cech highlighted the one-on-one save that he made from Robert Lewandowski in the 75th minute as the turning point, which came moments before the substitute Olivier Giroud gave Arsenal the lead, but there were other interventions that shaped the course of an evening that will live long in the memory.

Cech himself volunteered the 11th-minute reaction stop from the outstanding Thiago Alcântara but how about the tip-over from Lewandowski early in the second half? To embellish the theme, there was also the more routine diving save to keep out Arturo Vidal on 29 minutes.

Arsène Wenger knew the question was coming in his post-match press conference and the Arsenal manager was not disappointed. Had Cech’s performance not heightened the sense of regret about the selection of David Ospina ahead of him in the previous tie against Olympiakos?

“I expected this question and I’ve already spoken about it,” Wenger said, pulling down the shutters.

Anybody can make a mistake, Wenger has pointed out, and it was only a few months ago that Cech was flapping and scrambling against West Ham on the opening day of the season. Both of the concessions in the 2-0 loss were down to him.

Ospina’s error against Olympiakos was more grisly, and he will be haunted by the moment when he dropped a routine ball over his own line in the damaging 3-2 home defeat.

Ospina was ruled out against Bayern because of shoulder trouble, and so we might never know if Wenger would have persisted with him at the expense of Cech; Ospina had also played in the opening group phase loss at Dinamo Zagreb.

The injury allowed Wenger to change the guard without any loss of face, even if it was unavoidable to ponder the issue of whether the switch had come too late. This was the elephant in the room, and it went in four-footed on what has become the sorest of points for Wenger.

But the positives of Cech’s display held sway and it was easy to revel in the assurance he provided, together with the sense that this was precisely why the club had signed him from Chelsea last June.

Weirdly, the win over one of the elite teams in world football has not changed too much for Arsenal in practical terms. With Olympiakos winning in Zagreb, Arsenal might still need something from the visit to Bayern in two weeks’ time and/or an away win over Olympiakos, most likely by two goals, in the final tie.
In psychological terms, though, it was of immeasurable benefit and more than one Arsenal player was heard to say that if they could beat Bayern, they could beat anybody. It was a night when Cech underpinned a collective performance of resolve, focus and discipline and the mind went back to the previous time that they had overcome Bayern.

In March 2013, they beat them 2-0 at the Allianz Arena – a result which was not enough to avoid an away goals exit from the Champions League last 16 but one that ignited an excellent finish to the season. This tonic, so much earlier in the campaign, has the capacity to be more beneficial.

“Our position hasn’t changed much because Olympiakos won away, but these three points are crucial,” Cech said. “Olympiakos have home advantage [against Arsenal] and we still need more points. But we go to Munich knowing that we can compete with them and we are positive that we can have another game where we get points. We needed these three points and now, we are back in the game.”

It was a occasion that challenged perceptions, and was marked by remarkable moments. How, exactly, did Manuel Neuer keep out Theo Walcott’s header or, subsequently, blunder for Giroud’s goal?

There was confusion when Mesut Özil slid on his knees in celebration, shortly after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, another substitute, had somehow knocked the ball down and over the crossbar from point-blank range. One of the goalline assistants, though, had spotted that Özil’s initial shot had crossed the line for Arsenal’s second goal.

Above all, there was the sight of Wenger’s team having just 32% of the ball but remaining switched-on and organised in their defensive third. Yes, they rode their luck at times and they were indebted to Cech but their approach was nicely calibrated.

“For us, it was a different type of game because usually we have more possession than our opponents and we control the game,” Cech said. “Here, it was them with the possession. They really used the ball well, they opened up spaces and so we had to be very disciplined and organised, which is not easy but we did remarkably well.

“The key to victory was to keep the discipline and to be organised. They played really well, they came forward and they controlled the game with good possession. We needed to work as a unit, as one man, and we did that very well. We needed to be patient. It was a great night and let’s see what will happen in the future. Hopefully, we can carry on the momentum in the league and then in theChampions League.”