Heartbreak or Triumph for the GUNNERS ???

A week has already passed by, but i can still remember a little bit of everything that happened in that extraordinary drama ( CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL ) at the Stade de France.

It was after a long time that i really stayed awake to watch a football match, although staying awake late night is nothing new since when i've joined MCA.It may be to check and forward all those e-mails,surffing the net, studing ( this happens only when the exams are really knocking the door ), or getting lost in Orkut ( the latest craze in DCST ) and if the net is down then just sitting on the department terrace, making jokes or watching movies.I was so excited about the Finals that i even forgot to celebrate the end of my exams which happened on the same day at around 4:30 pm, as i was desperate to reach home and be all set before the television to catch the live action.

At around 10:30 pm it was really getting boring as my PC was not working and there were no good programs being shown on the television, i felt as if the Devil of sleep was pulling down my eyelids forcing me to sleep but my passion for the World's most popular game did'nt allow him to succeed.( Not forgetting here, the Angel of sleep who always comes during class hours and ....)

And finally the final's began and It was in the 18th minute when Jens Lehmann committed a blatant professional foul against Samuel Eto'o just outside the penalty area which made the Norwegian referee flash the RED card at him and force him to leave the field.Since then, the 10-men Arsenal had to fight really hard against the mighty Barcelona.And they fought very bravely and made sure that they were ahead of their rivals before the lemon break. At this time it was Campbell's goal that separated both the teams.The Gunners began the second half with their smart short passes and thrilling runs and it never seemed that it was 10 against 11.But the arrival of Henrik Larsson in the 61st minute did make the difference as it was he who initiated the moves that helped Barca net the ball home twice within 6 minutes to turn things around. ( Not mentioning the role played by the refree which was very crucial ).

The Gunners looked exhausted after that, as they really worked hard to make the 10-11 difference really invisible before Eto's strike.Fredie was still working hard to get a second one but Henry appeared too tired and was missing opportunities, after all he too is human and considering the pressure that was created on him by the press, it was all fine. Pressure does have a great psychological impact on the players in this game ( Remember Ronaldo in the finals of France 98 ???? )

At the end of 90 minutes the referee blew the whistle and Barcelona were crowned the New UEFA Champions ( Andy and Ozzy must have been really happy at this point of time ).Arsenal deserved to win, ya they really deserved to win, but the fairytale ending was not to be.All their fans ( including me and not forgetting Yves ) were sad and totally shocked for all that happened.

But every Sun-Set leads to another Sun-Rise and within 48 hours the millions of Arsenal fans were given a reason to put the finals behind their mind and start rejoicing as the King of Highburry who was all set to move to Barca announced that he will stay with Arsenal for the next four years( From this moment Andy and Ozzy must have really been scared, no wonder why i managed to kill them so very easily the other day when we were playing CS ).Now, was it the love and support which the fans displayed that changed Henry's mind ??? Was it the Teams collective performance that touched his heart ??? Was it the un-conquered UEFA finals by Arsenal ???

The reasons don't really matter as long as he stays. And this is a warning to all the European Clubs that we ( ARSENAL ) are going to come back soon and this time with a double edged sword having both the support of the fans and the bitter experiences of the past.So you better watch out !!!