Juventus 1 Arsenal 0
|
| Thierry Henry watches as Juve ‘keeper Fabian Carini turns his penalty effort onto the upright. (© Reuters) |
Arsenal were unable to overcome a second-string Juventus side at a near-empty Delle Alpi stadium tonight, as both clubs bowed out of the Champions League.
Arsenal were badly in need of a win to keep their quarter-final hopes alive but their fate was ultimately settled elsewhere after Bayer Leverkusen secured a surprise 3-1 victory over Group D pacesetters Deportivo la Coruna.
That result meant Bayer and Deportivo qualified regardless of the outcome in Italy. Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger is unlikely to have been overly impressed with the manner of his team’s demise.
Juventus, already eliminated after last week's defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a team made up of reserve players but held firm in the face of early Arsenal pressure and kept the visitors at bay.
After Thierry Henry, who joined Arsenal in 1999 after an unhappy spell at Juventus, had a second-half penalty saved, his second in a week after he missed from the spot in the 2-0 defeat to Deportivo, any remaining urgency evaporated and Uruguayan striker Marcelo Zalayeta headed Juve's winner in the 76th minute.