UEFA Champions League Group H Week 1 Results

European Football's Premier Tournament Match Week One Review

Sep 29, 2009

The 2009-10 UEFA Champions League group stages have begun. Here is a recap of week one's Group H matches. Arsenal at Standard Liege and AZ Alkmaar at Olympiakos.

Group H Game Week 1 Match Ups – September 16, 2009

Olympiakos 1 – AZ Alkmaar 0

Zico has to like what he sees. The former Brazilian star was named as the new manager for Olympiakos on the same night that the Greek champions claimed a 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in this tightly contested Group H opener. Zico replaces sacked manager Temuri Ketsbaia just days after leaving CSKA Moscow but it was caretaker manager Bozidar Bandovic that oversaw Olympiakos’ victory. The match itself was lacking in excitement with neither side willing to concede a goal until Vassilis Torosidis slotted home the winner just 11 minutes from full time. The first half was largely uneventful with AZ dominating possession as the Olympiakos was clearly struggling with a new coaching style. Brazilian forward Diogo had the better of the chances, but none proved good enough and the game was scoreless at the break. The second half resumed the slow pace of the first and Olympiakos continued to struggle to push forward and get any meaningful attempts at the Dutch goal while AZ also failed to put forth much threat. Finally, against the run of play, the hosts took the lead in the 79th minute. Torosidis headed home a well placed cross from Zairi and Olympiakos, shockingly, had taken the lead. The final 10 minutes had as much drama as the previous 80 as both sides had good chances on goal. However, Torosidis’ effort sealed an important victory for the home side.

Arsenal 3 – Standard Liege 2

In what was easily the most entertaining game of the first round of Champions League group play nearly turned out to be perhaps the biggest upset. Highly favored Arsenal were forced to battle back from a 2-0 deficit within the first five minutes of the match to pull off the victory over Standard Liege. Eduardo scored the winner nine minutes from time after Thomas Vermaelen had equalized just three minutes prior as Arsenal fans were forced to anxiously await what was expected to be an easier victory. The match started out brightly for the Belgians when Eliaquim Mangala powered home a driving shot past Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone in the second minute after the Gunners failed to clear a Standard corner kick. Just a few moments later, the hosts doubled their surprising lead when William Gallas took down Milan Jovanovic in the box forcing referee Eduardo Gonzalez to award the penalty. Jovanovic converted the spot kick and Mannone’s dream Champions League debut quickly became a nightmare. Arsenal eventually regrouped and finally registered on the score sheet when Nicklas Bendtner connected well on a fine ball from Abou Diaby in first half stoppage time. The goal was a big boost for the North London club who still needed an outstanding second half to salvage points from the match. The second half opened similarly to the first with Liege pressing forward and almost restoring their two goal lead when Dieudonne Mbokani forced a great tackle from Gael Clinchy to prevent a goal. However, Standard settled on a defensive strategy that ultimately cost them the match. As Arsenal pushed deeper and deeper in to Standard’s territory, more opportunities presented themselves. Finally the Vermaelen’s equalizer came as a result of a deep free kick that fumbled around the Liege box before going in. The Gunners smelled blood and what at first appeared to be a huge upset in the making now looked like an inevitable come back. And inevitable it was when Eduardo put through the winner 10 minutes from time.

Upcoming Matches

Arsenal versus Olympiakos, Emirates Stadium, London, England

The Gunners nearly lost a match they should have won versus Standard Liege. Now they face the Greek champions at home in what should also be a straight forward victory. Arsene Wegner’s side need to stay ahead of their Group H rivals as they are the clear favorites to win this group. Look for a convincing victory by the Gunners to put their Champions League campaign back on track.

AZ Alkmaar versus Standard Liege, Almaarderhout, Alkmaar, the Netherlands

As mentioned in the Group H Preview, these two clubs should battle each other fairly equally for right to advance from the group stages to the knock-out stages. This is the first test between the Dutch and Belgian champions to see who may gain an early advantage. Standard Liege showed a lot of heart and excitement in the opening minutes versus group favorite Arsenal while AZ suffered an unfortunate defeat in Athens. While AZ needs these precious home points, Liege will offer a competitive match for sure. This one may be too close to call.

Current Group H Standings

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