Real tie still in the balance despite Henry magic

The pre-match talk was all about Real Madrid's revival and Arsenal's slump, but it was the London side who set the Bernabeu alight on Tuesday with a superb performance that left them on the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals.

A wonderful individual goal from skipper Thierry Henry gave Arsenal a 1-0 win that ended Real's unbeaten home record since October 2002 and made his team the first English side to win at the Bernabeu.
 
A pacy, well-organised Arsenal threatened to tear Real apart in the opening 15 minutes, with the hosts being kept in the knockout round first leg match by some top-class goalkeeping from Iker Casillas.

But two minutes into the second half, Henry began a magical weaving run that took him past three players and ended with a cool finish to give Arsenal a deserved victory.

Real may have improved against lowly opponents from the lower reaches of the Primera Liga, but it soon became clear that they still struggle against quality opposition.

Real's much-vaunted attack of Ronaldo, Robinho, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham was brilliantly shackled by Arsenal's injury-depleted defence with Emmanuel Eboue giving an immense display at right back.

But for all Arsenal's domination, Real are still in with a chance of turning the tie around when they visit Highbury on March 8.

"I'm happy in every department, but the only regret I have is that we could have scored one or two more goals and that means the game is still wide open," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Henry also struck a note of caution, saying his side would need to be ready for a Real Madrid backlash in the second leg.

"We need to keep our feet on the ground and not get carried away with this result," he said. "It's a great result to take to Highbury but we must be careful."

"We all know they are a great team that can turn things around. I've seen a lot of things happen in my career so we must stay calm and focused."

The tie remains delicately balanced as Real are confident they can go to Highbury and score. "I'm sure the second leg will be a different story and that our players will respond much better," said coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro.

Real will look for a piece of individual brilliance from the unsettled Ronaldo or one of their other Galacticos to turn the tie around and prevent Arsenal from earning a place in the quarter-finals for only the third time.

"The good thing is that they only won 1-0," Beckham told reporters. "It's going to be very difficult now, but we have the players to go there and win."

However, the fact that Real will have to come forward and take the game to Arsenal is likely to play into the hands of Wenger's side whose primary strength lies in their rapier-like counter-attacks.

With attacking fullbacks like Roberto Carlos and Cicinho, Real are vulnerable to such tactics, while they lack the physical presence in midfield to bully Arsenal off the ball as several English sides have done this season.

"Real will have to come out and attack (at Highbury), they can't just defend and that will make it a very interesting game," said Wenger.

Despite exiting both domestic cup competitions and languishing in fifth place in the league, a victory over Real at Highbury could yet make Arsenal's season.