Dejection and despair

Arsenal have been knocked out of the Champions league. Last night in the Nou Camp they lost 3-1 to Barcelona, ensuring that the Catalan side went through 4-3 on aggregate. Those are the bald facts. Of course to a football fan the bald facts are not enough, the drama, the ebb and flow of the game, the injustice, the aftermath that's what its all about.

Someone once said to me that being a football supporter is not about excitement, glory, or pleasure, its all about pain and how we endure it. I sense there's a large dose of truth in that. The expectation and the deflation. When Arsenal won the first leg 2-1 in spite of conceding a goal ensuring Barca a vital away goal, I felt uplifted, it proved that the best could be beaten.

Last night was a severe reality check. Barcelona showed not only how to play with the ball but more significantly how to play when you don't have it. Arsenal rarely threatened the Barcelona goal, of course that's not easy when you are compelled to play the last 35 minutes with 10 men when your only outlet player is sent off in bizarre circumstances.

At the time Arsenal led the tie on the away goals rule, however 10 against 11 was an unfair contest. The amazing aspect was in the final five minutes Arsenal had the chance to literally steal the tie when Nicklas Bendtner had a good goal scoring opportunity but his decision making and touch let him down and the clearance was made.

We'll never know what the scoreline would have been if both sides had been at full stretch, Arsenal fans can hang onto the point as the debate rages. Not surprisingly Arsene Wenger berated the referee after the game but the damage had been done.

My only hope is that their closest domestic challengers Man Utd might get further embroiled in European competitions perhaps opening the way for the Gunners to make a late assault on the premiership title.