Key events
47 min: With no Martinelli or Saka this is a very different Arsenal attack. Though perhaps retaining possession is the better part of valour here.
46 min: Back underway and a very loud Lens crowd, all singing a club anthem together before we resume. A rather vociferous homme on the mic gives it the big one before Lens take the kick-off.
Charles Antaki starts riffing: “The Arsenal fan’s stream of consciousness as they sit back and mull over events will include worries about Bukayo Saka… Why was even started… how culpable was Ryer for that rick at the back… wonder what Ramsdale is thinking… Havertz – is he actually any good, or not, really, after all… Tomiyasu – looks a bit wooden tonight… Declan Rice, isn’t he great? Et cetera and so on and so forth, until the game restarts, and then it’s back to just simple anxiety..”
Danny Whybrow’s mind’s made up: “When will Arteta give up on project Havertz? Fair enough he took his penalty well at the weekend but his body language is still all wrong. He’s gone from making mistakesto hiding around the pitch. I want him to do well but with ESR on the bench…enough is enough.”
Charlotte Daniels is in touch too: “Nice underreported stat for you: Arsenal came second in Division one and Premier League a total of five times in the 20th century. In the 21st century Arsenal have come second six times and we’re only up to 2023.”
Martin Hughes gets in touch: “As someone of the right vintage to remember, just thought I’d point out that although ‘98 saw the last Champions League meeting between Arsenal and Lens, they actually met more recently in a UEFA Cup semi in 2000. Just an excuse to remind people of another classic (is there any other kind?) Bergkamp strike really.”
Half-time: Lens 1-1 Arsenal
A fair scoreline, since as Arsenal have dominated the half’s chances, they have been open at the back. That was a mistake from Raya that may interest Pep Guardiola while Bukayo Saka faces a race against time to face City. And there’s still 45 minutes more to see out.
45+2 min: The free-kick is cleared and Odegaard switches play to Jesus, who is in space but this chance is not taken with the same proficiency as the opening goal.
45 min: Two minutes are added on. Tomiyasu gets flattened as tries to overlap and a free-kick results from his right flank.
44 min: John Cox: “For the Ewing effect look no further than 2023 Spurs, or indeed 2022 Arsenal post-Aubameyang.”
Raya and Saliba try to play the ball out and are far more successful than for the Lens equaliser.
43 min: Kai Havertz is having one of those games where he is present but not involved.
41 min: “Trossard has had an uncharacteristic stinker,” says Carlos Izquierdo. “Lots of heavy touches so far. What has ESR done to Arteta to have fallen so far down the order? Will hurt us to see him in another kit next year.”
Isn’t he back and playing minutes now? But yes, some fall from someone who seemed so key to the new Arsenal. Injuries have been cruel to him.
40 min: Vieira out wide is a different proposition to the speed of Saka. Arsenal’s buildup is more deliberate than it was.
38 min: Saliba skips away from a couple of Lens tackles, and Arsenal get the ball all the way up to Trossard and then Rice again comes to harvest possession.
36 min: Declan Rice drives on from midfield but Lens get back in numbers, and a patient buildup results in Trossard spinning off. Lens defender Gradit tackles back to concede a corner.
Saka goes off with a muscular problem
33 min: Doesn’t look good, and the issue looks to be muscular. On comes the physio, and there’s some stretching out being done. Looks like a hamstring, and Fabio Vieira comes on instead. Big blow for Arsenal. It’s Manchester City at the weekend.
31 min: “In other news, Leo Skiri Østigård has scored for Napoli against Real Madrid, as has Rasmus Højlund for Manchester United against Galatasaray. Sort of feels like a gauntlet thrown at the feet of another player in action with an Ø in his name – Martin Ødegaard.
Sincerely, Peter Øh, er, Oh.”
Well døne, Peter.
30 min: On Messi v Ronaldo, as we address Lens v Ronaldo, Joe Pearson is back: “Going deep here on the Messi/Ronaldo thing. There is a thing in American sports known as the Ewing Theory. Named after former NBA player Patrick Ewing, it basically posits that when a team loses a player who sucks up all the media and is purportedly THE STAR, that the team actually gets better. I would argue that Ronaldo is a prime example. Not sure about Messi.”
Daragh Thomas is back too: “On a more interesting note, I love the Arsenal green away kit. It’s in stark contrast to the awful yellow monstrosity they’ve been using in the premier league.”
28 min: Gabriel takes a knock but is back up, Lens are back in numbers now. This is turning out to be a tough assignment. Trossard gives up the ball and it’s aimed at Wahi, whose hold-up play set up the equaliser.
26 min: Some goal from Lens, a mistake from Raya. This sweeper-keeper thing can be so dangerous. Unless your keeper has the touch of Glenn Hoddle, it can go so wrong. Having your worst ball-player in the most dangerous spot, well, there’s a reason that so many managers have preferred the ball to be Row Z first.
Goal! Lens 1-1 Arsenal (Thomasson, 25)
Arsenal get in a mess, and Wahi steps inside and sets up Thomasson whose finish is unerring, and arrows beyond Raya. The move began with Raya playing the ball out and it came straight back at the Arsenal defence.
24 min: Lens chance, coming from down the wing where Zinchenko has stepped into midfield, with Adrien Thomasson volleying wide.
23 min: Jesus runs back to press and intercept, and that sets the Lens defenders arguing with each other. He’s a pest, and a dangerous one.
20 min: Kai Havertz, yet to score in open play for Arsenal, is chipped through but fails to beat the goalkeeper. Did he think he was offside?
18 min: Lens’ fire extinguished a little. The fans keep singing, though, as they do on the continent. You can be at a Ligue 1 and Bundesliga game and not notice the aural difference between a team thrashing a bitter rival and getting gubbed. We English – and our cousins across the isles – are a better gauge of the game via the mood of the crowd. We know a good groan/to large it when we see it.
16 min: Daragh Thomas reopen a debate for the ages: “Both Messi and Ronalo have been a detriment for any team they’ve played for (in Europe for years), both the teams and their leagues are much better off without them. The love Messi would get for a simple pass was astonishing.”
Have to agree that it’s good European soccer has moved on. The USA seems gripped by Messi fever, even if Billy Sharp is outshining the great man.
15 min: A reminder that Arsenal are also speedy on the break. Is there a quicker team on the break in football?
Goal! Lens 0-1 Arsenal (Jesus, 14)
Arsenal pick the lock, press the ball out, and Saka reads a pass, sees Jesus who forges on and finishes. Lovely goal, that was clinical.
13 min: Lens are speedy on the break. Arsenal can flood midfield at their peril.
12 min: Zinchenko steps into midfield as Arsenal try to settle into possession. Lens chase them hard, using the pressing game Mikel Arteta pinpointed in pre-match. They sit back to hold their line and then clear up after Trossard’s flick fails to dig Odegaard through. Declan Rice reclaims the ball.
10 min: Lens meanwhile have been rather decent, really raising their game, and in control. Raya has to claim a high ball aimed for Wahi.
9 min: Joe Pearson is happy enough with the Champions League. “Very excited for the football today! So many tasty fixtures. Obviously the Premier League matchups, but also Napoli v Madrid, Inter v Benfica, and PSV v Sevilla. I’m going to have to watch one of those whiparound shows just to keep up.”
Aleksander Čeferin likes this.
8 min: Kurt gets in touch: “It is hard to believe this is the first UEFA Champions League in 21 years (2002-03) not to have Cristiano Ronaldo Lionel Messi or both.” Perhaps that’s why a glance at this year’s competition seems to lack some glitter. But things have to move on.
7 min: Arsenal seek to rest on the ball by playing it around. Then they go too quickly and Saka cannot get to a pass. There’s no need to be quite so hasty.
5 min: Raya comes off his line from the corner and Danso, up from defence, smashes wide. That was a big chance for Lens.
4 min: Gabriel is forced to knock behind and the corner is cleared, and as Jesus and Saka try to get clear, they are stopped in their tracks. Lens are full of zip and Tomiyasu has to concede another corner.
2 min: Lens haven’t been going great guns in Ligue 1 while Arsenal are doing quite nicely, without hitting the top gear of last season. Except against PSV, of course.
1 min: And away we go in France, as Arsenal seek to get their Champions League group sorted as soon as possible. There’s smoke and whistles filling the air.
In Lens, the Champions League anthem is ringing out, and there’s quite the atmosphere in a stadium you may recall from France 98 and Euro 2016. A great big wall of red and yellow behind one of the goals. Loads of tifo and pyro. Proper stuff.
Richard McKeary gets in touch: “I don’t know what grates more in my memory of Arsenal’s ill fated use of Wembley for those CL ties in ‘98 – the results or that abominable Frankenstein’s monster of a kit we wore versus Lens. Dark blue, red and white? Zut alors! (Forgive the monstrous mixed metaphors).”
Arsenal draw did 1-1 at Lens, mind.
Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT Sports, starting on that tough journey. “We cannot control it, We had to stay together and we had a good time. We will play a beautiful game today, It’s a big night, a really good test. [On Trossard and Tomiyasu coming in] The way we aim to play, giving minutes, everyone deserves a chance to play. It will be a very intense game on high press, a lot of situations, a lot of transition moments.”
It wasn’t easy in transit for Arsenal to get to France.
Mikel Arteta and his squad were waiting in the private terminal at Luton airport well into Monday evening after their plane, which had been due to depart at 4.15pm, was grounded because of adverse weather. They eventually flew just after 9pm.
It meant arrangements for their first away outing in this competition for six-and-a-half years were thrown into chaos, with Arteta being forced to cancel his mandatory media commitments and the prospect of a late arrival in France meaning a hasty change of schedule.
Here’s Group B’s embryonic table.
For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka starts, having limped off against Bournemouth. He’s such a hardy type, plays every minute he can. In terms of the Champions League, it’s just one Gunners change with Tomiyasu in for Ben White from the right hammering handed out to PSV.
Lens make one change from their draw with Sevilla, Thomasson in for Fulgini.
Back to 2023 – here’s the teams
Lens: Samba, Gradit, Danso, Medina, Frankowski, Mendy, Abdul Samed, Machado, Sotoca, Thomasson, Wahi. Subs: Aguilar, Fulgini, Leca, Diouf, Maouassa, Said, El Aynaoui, Khusanov, Guilavogui, Pandor.
Arsenal: Raya, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Havertz, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard. Subs: Ramsdale, White, Partey, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Kiwior, Cedric, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Hein.
Referee: Vladimir Antonov (Moldova)
Preamble…back to 1998
Arsenal began their return to the Champions League with a bang in demolishing PSV, now for a trip to northern, industrial France and Lens. Those of vintage may recall the last time these two met, when Highbury was considered too small and Premiership champions Arsenal made an ill-fated decision to play home games at the old Wembley Empire Stadium. Lens were French champions back then, with featuring striker Tony Vairelles. Whatever happened to him? A search reveals he is serving prison time in France for the shooting of nightclub bouncers, along with his three brothers…blimey. Other names you may recall from their squad of that season: Alex Nyarko, not especially loved at Everton, Stephane Dalmat, once of Spurs, Franck Quedrue, of Boro, Fulham and Birmingham fame and their star man, Vladimir Smicer, later of Liverpool glory in Istanbul fame.
Lens won 1-0 to all but end Arsenal’s Champions League chances in a year they were heavily fancied.
Taking on Arsene Wenger that night was Guy Roux, the wiliest French manager of all.
Arsenal (4-4-2): Seaman; Dixon, Adams, Keown, Winterburn; Parlour, Garde, Hughes, Overmars; Wreh, Anelka.
Lens (4-4-2): Warmuz; Sikora, Magnier, Dehu, Lachor; Debeve, Smicer, Nyarko, Rool; Nouma, Vairelles.
Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).
And a famous referee, too. Time and tide have changed both club’s outlooks, Lens return to the competition after lower-league spells, and even after reaching this year’s competition had to lose two of their best players in Lois Openda, to Leipzig, and Seko Fofana, now of Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro-League. Last time out, they drew 1-1 with Sevilla, and Franck Haise, their manager, will be pulling of an almighty coup if he follows in Roux’s footsteps.
Kick-off is 8pm UK time. Join me.
