Published 2/17/2010 1:36:35 PM by Shane Barrow from soccermogul

The Champions League quarterfinal opening leg between Arsenal and Porto in Portugal had a little bit of everything Wednesday evening.  Sol Campbell up from lowly Notts County and back into Champions League play.  A wide open attacking match where defensive discipline was non-existent.  Tempers from players and coaches.  A couple of goals that just made you shake your head.  Add it all up and soccer fans got a tremendously entertaining game.

One would expect Arsenal would try to play am air-tight defensive game on the road in the first leg.  They were anything but as their midfield flew forward all match long leaving an aging Sol Campbell and Thomas Vermaelen scrambling.  Porto struck first in the 11th minute when Varela got down the wing and zipped in a low ball.  It was intended as a cross, but Arsenal's keeper Lukasz Fabianski was caught out of position and he bundled it into his own net.  

Not an impressive start for the Polish keeper.

Arsenal would fight back though as both teams streamed forward in attack after attack.  It would be Sol Campbell that would draw Arsenal even in the 18th minute as he headed home a headed cross from Rosicky.  Tempers flared as the opening half wound down and the game went to the intermission 1-1.

The second half would provide just as much excitement as the first.  Just six minutes into the new half a blunder of epic proportions cost Arsenal dearly.  Sol Campbell and Fabianski made a meal of a simple situation in the penalty area.  Campbell touched a ball back towards Fabianski who instead of clearing it away, bent down and scooped it up.  The referee awarded an indirect free kick to Porto who immediately sat the ball down and started quickly.  A simple three yard square ball left Falcao slotting into an empty net while the Arsenal players stood looking dumbfounded. Arsene Wenger went nuts, but it was a totally fair goal.  The announcers rightly described the Arsenal mess as "schoolboyish" and they were more than right.  It is rare to see such inattention even in U14 play.

Arsenal would never really recover as Campbell and Vermaelen adopted a "boom it away" strategy rather than trying to start possession.  Porto take an important 2-1 victory and head to London for the second leg with hope.  There are bright spots for Arsenal though as they should be getting some injured players, namely Gallas, Arshavin and Alex Song, back for the next leg.  The other good news is that Porto has never won on English soil with only 2 draws to show from 14 trips.

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