Football's hand covers the sky

Chapter 240 The Third Group Match

After one draw and one loss, Arsenal not only lost the second position in the league, but also directly fell to fourth place. Manchester City and Southampton ranked second and third with a one-point advantage, while Chelsea continued to maintain their winning streak, with 22 points in eight rounds.

Although they are already 7 points behind Chelsea, it is not impossible for Arsenal to have a chance. The league is only a quarter past. As long as Arsenal gets all the points in the next game, it is possible to catch up with Chelsea.

But can it really be done with Arsenal's lineup?Besides, this is a very long process, the game needs to be played game by game, and after the eighth round of the league, Arsenal needs to turn their attention to the third opponent in the Champions League group stage.

The Belgian giant Anderlecht, this Belgian giant not only dominated the country, but also flourished in the European arena in the 70s.

However, with the changes in modern football, many strong teams in the last century have withdrawn from the mainstream of Europe, and can no longer threaten the giants of the top league.

Speaking of the upcoming game, although the Belgian giants are several times the overlord in the country, which is similar to the Turkish giants Galatasaray in the last round, but in the European arena, they are only second-rate teams.

This is the first time Arsenal and Anderlecht have played against each other in the Champions League, so there is no history to speak of. However, the Belgian team has played against other teams in the Premier League, but the record is a bit miserable.

Of course, these records mean nothing. The real outcome still needs to be decided by the two teams on the pitch. In late October, Arsenal arrived in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, as scheduled.

Speaking of the emergence of Belgian talents in recent years, it is said that a talented midfielder has emerged in the Anderlecht team, Youri Thielemans, a talented midfielder who is only 17 years old.

Speaking of which, Arsenal has observed Tielemans, and is even the focus of observation, so this game is also an opportunity for this young talent. If he can perform in the game against Arsenal, maybe Wenger can impress Wenger.

It is every player's dream to log into a wealthy club, and as talented players, their goal has always been to a wealthy club, but most geniuses can only waste their time and miss the best age of their own progress when they go to a wealthy club.

For the two teams who met for the first time, there was naturally no so-called grievances before the game, so both sides focused on the game. Arsenal wanted to win three consecutive victories and strive to qualify early, while Anderlecht needed a victory to change their ranking in the group.

Even if the Champions League cannot enter the knockout rounds, at least they must enter the Europa League. Although the Europa League cannot be compared with the Champions League, it is better than being eliminated directly.

The Van den Stock Stadium, which can only accommodate more than 2 people, is already full of seats, and the double-serving players have already warmed up and returned to the locker room.

Arsenal's main lineup has changed a lot compared to the previous game. Not only did Li Shou return to the starting lineup, Chambers and Ramsey both recovered from injuries, and Chambers will start in this game.

The other positions have not changed, the central defender is still a combination of Mertesacker and Monreal, Gibbs is on the left, midfielder Flamini, Wilshere, Soraka, and the forwards are Griezmann, Sanchez and Welbeck.

On the other side of Anderlecht, the most anticipated is naturally the talented young player who has attracted the attention of many European giants. In addition, the most famous player should be Defour, who has played for the Portuguese giant Porto for five seasons.

Speaking of which, Defour was once favored by many people, but it is a pity that he did not grow to the height that people expected after joining the European black shop, and finally failed to be favored by the giants of the top league.

Although it is an away game, but with Arsenal's strength, it is completely possible to turn away, and Arsenal did so after the start of the game.

In the 3rd minute of the game, Arsenal ushered in the first shot of the game. Sanchez made a cross from the right. Sanchez broke through from the right and passed the ball to the penalty spot. Cazorla followed up with a volley and missed it.

Among the two, Arsenal's comeback still came from Sanchez, but this time Sanchez chose to come by himself. After rushing into the penalty area with the ball, he shot into the far corner, and the ball flew out of the baseline short of the post.

In the 9th minute, Li Shou made his first save of the game, and Anderlecht also attacked from the wing, and also from the right, but Li Shou made a clearance for Anderlecht's cross.

"Paul, do you miss this familiar scene?" Andy Gray couldn't help asking Paul Merson after seeing Li Shou's clearance.

"Of course, I missed Li very much during the London Derby." Li Shou used his outstanding performance to distract the two commentators of Sky Sports.

In fact, it is understandable that Paul Merson prefers Arsenal. After all, he has played for Arsenal for many years and is regarded as a meritorious player for Arsenal. Andy Gray is of an orthodox background.

Li Shou's save once again became the beginning of Arsenal's counterattack. The ball from the clearance went directly to Ramsey's feet, and the latter found Welbeck with one kick.

Although Welbeck's ability to seize opportunities is still worrying, he has made great progress compared to when he first joined. In the last round, he even scored a goal in stoppage time.

Welbeck's physical fitness is indeed good. He carried the defensive player's header to Griezmann. The Frenchman rushed into the penalty area with the ball and completed Arsenal's third shot.

Although Griezmann was the only shot within the frame of Arsenal's first three kicks, he did not score a goal. The ball was blocked by Anderlecht goalkeeper Proto.

The subsequent corner kick was headed by Mertesacker. Unfortunately, the header from the German central defender did not pose any threat. The ball was higher than the crossbar this time.

In the 16th minute, Arsenal got a free kick in a very good position. Welbeck was knocked down after receiving the pass.

This well-positioned free kick was finally taken by Soraka. As a result, the Spaniard's shot hit the wall directly, and Anderlecht took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

However, Arsenal's reaction was not slow. Facing Arsenal's huge defense line, Li Shou also had to start commanding his teammates. Under Li Shou's command, Anderlecht's final shot was directly captured by Li Shou without any threat.

Then Li Shou made a long pass to Sanchez, and the latter broke through the bottom again from the side. This wave of offense was almost exactly the same as the goal in the previous game.

It's a pity that something went wrong in the last link. Welbeck in the penalty area didn't seize the opportunity and actually fired an anti-aircraft gun to help Anderlecht resolve the crisis.

(End of this chapter)