Anybody can make a mistake, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had pointed out sometime back, after their goalkeeper Petr Cech’s flapping and scrambling show on the opening day of the Premier League season in a 0-2 defeat against West Ham.
On Tuesday night, it was redemption time after the false start, as Cech turned the saviour on his Champions League bow. On a night that pulsed with tension and do-or-die imperatives, the goalkeeper played a key role in the thrilling 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Afterwards, Cech highlighted the one-on-one save that he made from Robert Lewandowski in the 75th minute as the turning point, which came moments before substitute Olivier Giroud gave Arsenal the lead, but there were other interventions that shaped the course of an evening that will live long in memory.
The positives of Cech’s display held sway and it was easy to revel in the assurance he provided, together with the sense that this was precisely why the club had signed him from Chelsea in June.
Weirdly, the win over one of the elite teams in world football has not changed too much for Arsenal in practical terms. With Olympiakos winning in Zagreb, Arsenal might still need something from the visit to Bayern in two weeks’ time and/or an away win over Olympiakos, most likely by two goals, in the final tie.
In psychological terms, though, it was of immeasurable benefit and more than one Arsenal player was heard to say that if they could beat Bayern, they could beat anybody. It was a night when Cech underpinned a collective performance of resolve, focus and discipline and the mind went back to the previous time that they had overcome Bayern.
In March 2013, they beat them 2-0 at the Allianz Arena–a result which was not enough to avoid an away goals exit from the Champions League last 16 but one that ignited an excellent finish to the season. This tonic, so much earlier in the campaign, has the capacity to be more beneficial.
It was a game that challenged perceptions, and was marked by remarkable moments. Cech’s Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer is not known for fumbles. Yet, he was the one responsible for Oliver Giroud’s goal, a big, big blunder by his own lofty standards.
Wenger’s team had just 32% possession of the ball but their approach was nicely calibrated. They were switched-on and organised in defence. Yes, they rode their luck at times, but above all, were indebted to Cech for giving them a lifeline when they most needed it.
The road ahead is still tough, and there’s little margin for error, but their determined display and Cech’s showing should give them that much-needed hope of making the knockout stages for a 16th successive year.
