Playing for 90
Fansided

Arsene Wenger’s Top 10 Arsenal moments

By Jocelyn Taub

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger holds the Premier League trophy at Islington Town Hall on May 19, 2004 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger holds the Premier League trophy at Islington Town Hall on May 19, 2004 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next

Arsenal qualified for the 2006 Champions League final

Sport, Football, UEFA Champions League Final, Paris, 17th May 2006, Barcelona 2 v Arsenal 1, Arsenal team group, Back Row, L-R; Sol Campbell, Lens Lehmann, Gilberto, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Robert Pires, Front Row, Alexander Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Fredrik Ljungberg, Thierry Henry and Ashley Cole (Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
Sport, Football, UEFA Champions League Final, Paris, 17th May 2006, Barcelona 2 v Arsenal 1, Arsenal team group, Back Row, L-R; Sol Campbell, Lens Lehmann, Gilberto, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Robert Pires, Front Row, Alexander Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Fredrik Ljungberg, Thierry Henry and Ashley Cole (Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images) /

Arsenal have yet to win the Champions League despite qualifying for 20 straight seasons.

In 2006, however, the Gunners came close to achieving this accomplishment.

Arsenal finished top of Group B and then went on to dispatch Real Madrid, Juventus and Villareal to make it to the final in Paris.

The Gunners’ opponent was the heavily favored Barcelona.

Everything was going well until the 19th minute when Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann brought down Samuel Eto’o and was sent off. This left Arsenal a man short for the rest of the match. Plus, the influential Robert Pires was sacrificed to allow backup keeper Manuel Almunia to take over for Lehmann.

Despite being down a man Sol Campbell gave Arsenal the lead in the 37th minute.

That lead lasted until Eto’o equalized in the 76th.

Next: Chelsea lining up Courtois replacement

Arsenal’s hopes were squashed when Juliano Belletti got Barcelona’s second four minutes later.

Barcelona lifted the trophy but Arsenal put up a good fight despite being down a man for the majority of the match.

Home/Arsenal FC