Arsenal knock Real Madrid out with 0-0 draw

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after holding nine-times winners Real Madrid to a pulsating 0-0 draw at Highbury on Wednesday for a 1-0 aggregate victory.
 
Despite the lack of goals, the game crackled with excitement and attacking football as Real tried to cancel out Thierry Henry's strike at the Bernabeu and Arsenal pushed for a goal that would kill the tie.

Arsenal's Spanish winger Jose Antonio Reyes could have had a first-half hat-trick, with one of his squandered chances hitting the bar. Raul struck the post for Real after the break before forcing an outstanding one-handed save from keeper Jens Lehmann from the rebound.

The draw was the high-water mark for Arsenal's erratic season in which they have lost all chance of domestic silverware and trail neighbours Tottenham Hotspur by five points for a place in next season's Champions League qualifiers.

Defeat for Real probably means another season without a trophy as they are out of the Spanish Cup and trail league leaders Barcelona by 10 points

"It had everything, a bit of suspense at the end, both teams tried to play, it was not a boring 0-0," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports TV.

"We didn't concede a goal home and away against Real Madrid. It's amazing, we are going to go through...it shows that with desire and commitment you can achieve a lot."

Arsenal, starting with the same XI who inflicted Real's first home defeat by an English club at the Bernabeu, were slow out of the blocks in north London.

Real were playing their first European game since Fernando Martin took over as president, warning every player that the Galacticos era was over, and they looked the more settled of the two sides.

Ronaldo threatened after 20 minutes when he prepared to shoot from deep inside the Arsenal area, only to be stopped by a last-ditch tackle by fellow Brazilian Gilberto.

Arsenal were gradually finding their feet despite a lack of support for Henry, operating as a lone striker in front of a five-man midfield that underlined their desire to keep it tight.

Spanish midfielder Francesc Fabregas had a shot blocked at the end of a four-man move while the tit-for-tat efforts continued when David Beckham returned to Highbury to test Lehmann with a dipping free-kick.

Yet despite the presence of Beckham and Zinedine Zidane in midfield, Real's pressure was the more sporadic and Reyes should have done a lot better after being teed up by Henry's cut-back.

The Spaniard brought up a hat-trick of misses just before the break when Henry pounced a defensive blunder, surged into the area and lined him up from point-blank range - only for Reyes to hit the bar.

The end-to-end action continued straight after the break, albeit without a clearcut chance until the hour-mark.

Real caught the Arsenal defence at sixes and sevens and Raul clipped a half-volley onto a post and then followed up the rebound with an effort that forced a brilliant save from Lehmann, somehow tipping the ball away as he scrambled back towards goal.

At the other end, busy midfielder Alexander Hleb and defender Emmanuel Eboue both had shots charged down before Henry rifled in a low inswinging drive which keeper Iker Casillas turned round for a corner.

Real turned on the pressure in the closing stages and there was nearly a dramatic finale when Casillas, caught at the other end for Real's final corner left his goal empty. Arsenal substitute Robert Pires pulled the trigger from just inside his own half but his shot was retrieved on the goalline by Roberto Carlos.

Arsenal had done enough, though, to become the only English team in Friday's quarter-final draw.

"I thought we had two good games, and it was another demonstration you can have a great 0-0. It was a great football game, both teams tried to attack at every opportunity," Wenger told Sky Sports.

"Something is happening in the team, they are growing and gelling together, they are very young but have shown great character."

Henry added: "We hit the bar, they hit the post, Jens made a magnificent save - that changed the game - but at the end of the day 0-0, we went through, maybe not in an Arsenal way but we are through."

"We know that we can do some great stuff but we also have to defend well as a team and we've done that."

Real coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro told Spanish TV: "It's a big disappointment, but I'm proud of the players. They did all they could to turn the tie around."

"We had our chances but we just couldn't finish off. It was a combination of bad luck, good goalkeeping and poor finishing."

"Arsenal had their chances too and they did some excellent work as a unit."