Arsenal History: 2005/6 was the season that Wenger’s Arsenal nearly won the Champions League

Arsenals ultimate 2006 Champions League final blow

During the 2005/06 season Arsene Wenger dragged Arsenal to their first and last Champions League Final.

Their European voyage kicked off in the group stage versus Swiss Side FC Thun at Highbury. After a tight and tricky first half which saw Robert Van Persie sent off, Gilberto Silva cracked the deadlock six minutes into the second half to send The Gunners into the lead. This was cancelled moments later following a deeply frustrating equaliser from Nelson Ferreira on the 53^rd minute to make it 1-1. With some inner determination and perseverance The Gunners tickled in the winner in the final minutes of added time all due to a 92^nd minute Dennis Bergkamp goal with everyone “Walking along, singing a song, walking in a Bergkamp wonderland!” with a 2-1 victory in hand.

Next up the Wenger boys travelled to Amsterdam to take on four times European Cup/Champions League winners Ajax. Within minutes Freddie Ljungberg got the ball rolling, immediately slotting Arsenal into a much wanted lead after only two pulsating minutes of action. The Gunners held onto their advantage before Robert Pires doubled it with a penalty scored in the later stages of the match, before Nils Rosenburg pulled one back for the Dutch side, but by then it was too late and Arsenal would edge out 2-1 heroes.

Arsenal’s Guns now pointed in the direction of Prague where less than 13,000 people would turn up in reception at the Generali Arena to welcome the Presence of the North Londoners. Thierry Henry would go on to win The Gunners the battle on his own with two goals, one on either side of the halftime whistle, to see out a 2-0 win over Sparta Prague.

Back at Highbury the Eastern Europeans were entertained by a larger crowd of just over 35,000 spectators awaiting them. Henry put Arsenal to the good just after the 20 minute mark and in the final ten minutes of the game a young Van Persie netted two goals to round off the Gunners 3-0 winning.

At the Stade de Suisse it was far from a thumping at FC Thun where a late saviour of a penalty from Pires again saved the Gunners three points marginally in a 1-0 victory.

In the final group stage match Wenger’s army failed to break the deadlock versus Ajax in a 0-0 draw. Despite this The Gunners finished top of Group B on 16 points and five over their visitors for the night, qualifying for the knockout stages in Europe.

In the round of 16 Arsenal faced the most successful side in Europe Real Madrid, who at that stage in history had already been crowned nine times previously at that point in Champions League history before they eventually achieved their current 14.

In the first leg Arsenal became the first English side to defeat Read Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, all thanks to Henry who grabbed the solo goal of the game to give Arsenal the 1-0 edge over the Spanish side. This would prove to be enough to seal the tie which finished 0-0 in North London where The Gunners had just about put in enough work to advance to the quarter-finals.

In the Quarters Juventus were drawn out of the hat with the first part of the toss up played at Highbury, where at last the home fans saw some goals in the knockout round of the tournament. Cesc Fabregas who later declared himself “Once a Gooner always a Gooner” before leaving for Barcelona in 2011 from the Emirates, put Arsenal a goal up five minutes before the break. In the second half the quarters were wrapped up when Henry found the target seconds before the 70^th minute watching The Gunners cruise to a 2-0 walk in the park on aggregate over Juve in the first 90 minutes. In Turin Juventus had held Arsenal to a 0-0 stalemate.

For the semi-finals Arsenal came face to face with Spanish side Villareal who Pires later agreed to join after they had been beaten fair and square in both legs come May.  Little did he realise at the time but Kolo Toure slammed home from close range Alex Hleb’s low cross in the first match with minutes left till the halftime whistle, which would end up sending The Gunners into their first Champions League final come the end of the tie. After Arsenal had sunk The Yellow Submarines (the visitor’s nickname) 1-0 the two would jostle it out for a 0-0 draw in the away game at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Out in Paris for the final with nearly 80,000 in attendance, Arsenal had no option but to prepare against a lacklustre Barcelona in Europe who hadn’t won the European Cup since 14 years earlier in 1992. After 37 minutes, an in control Arsenal side up until that point who had failed to capitalise on any of their opportunities, finally stole the opener through Sol Campbell, who nodded the ball into the back of the net from a close range free kick. In the latter part of the match a slight hiccup up from Arsenal cost them dearly allowing for Barca’s Samue Eto’o to slot in the leveller from inside the box, making it 1-1. On the 81^st minute The Catalonian side turned the game on its head when Juliano Belletti forced the ball through the legs of Almunia in goal who was unable to close them in time for Barcelona to cap off a 2-1 triumph over The Gunners to lift the Champions League trophy.

Arsenal have never come so close in their history to winning the biggest Prize in Europe before or after this day on May 17^th 2006.