Defiant Cech says Arsenal can still reach last 16
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BEATEN five times on a humbling night in Munich on Wednesday, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech says the London club can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League last 16 despite being bottom of Group F with two games left to play.
The 1-5 defeat by Bayern Munich, coupled with a late winner for Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus against Dinamo Zagreb means Arsenal must win its last two games and hope for the best.
“You (need to) win two games and we need to make sure that the head to head against Olympiakos is in our favor,” former Chelsea keeper Cech told Arsenal’s website.
“Then you can go through.”
While Cech makes the equation sound relatively simple, Arsenal’s destiny is not in its hands.
The Gunners must beat Zagreb in their next fixture, hope Olympiakos loses to Bayern on the same night and then go to Greece on the final match night and win by two goals, having been beaten 2-3 at home by Olympiakos already.
Bayern tops the group with nine points, followed by Olympiakos (9), Dinamo (3) and Arsenal (3).
“Everything is possible. We have two games to play, we have to regroup and continue fighting until the last minute,” Cech added. “You need to make sure that you recover and move on to the next one. It was not a day we wanted.”
Manager Arsene Wenger has a proud record of guiding his team through the initial group stage of the Champions League, achieving that feat every year since 1999-2000. He is not giving up on keeping that run going, although he said: “It’s a small chance but it is a real one.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea has the perfect platform to relaunch its season and banish all talk of manager Jose Mourinho’s departure after its 2-1 home win over Dynamo Kiev.
Mourinho could barely contain himself after Willian’s stunning 28-meter free kick seven minutes from time gave his team victory with a performance that at times was totally dominant, yet became nervy after Dynamo threatened to steal a point.
But at the final whistle it was almost like old times at Stamford Bridge as the crowd cheered Mourinho and the Portuguese saluted the crowd. Perhaps Willian’s goal will signal the turning point after what has been a miserable season so far.
The victory moves Chelsea closer to qualifying for the last 16 of the tournament it won in 2012.
While there is along way to go before it can consider winning it again, at times the Blues looked more like the side that won the Premier League title last season than the current bottom-half strugglers.
Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge has been cast into doubt after only three wins in its opening 11 English Premier League matches has seen Chelsea sink to 15th in the table.
But what is not in doubt is how the fans feel about him and how he feels about them.
“To have the whole stadium supporting me in a difficult time is an unforgettable moment in my career,” he said.
“With Chelsea, I think this is my moment, the club can be proud of their fans. I can only thank them by giving everything I have, to thank them for this reaction.”
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