RUSSIA: SOCCER - CSKA and Arsenal managers react to Russian club's 1-0 Champions League win

Arsenal's winning run in the Champions League came to an abrupt end on Tuesday (October 17) when Daniel Carvalho fired CSKA Moscow to a 1-0 victory over last season's finalists. CSKA's Brazilian playmaker blasted the ball home in the 24th minute of their Group G match, but Arsenal were left to rue an 86th minute strike by captain Thierry Henry that was disallowed and led to the French striker being booked. Henry was judged to have used his arm to control the ball as he brought it down, making it the third effort of the game to be disallowed. Team mate Gilberto was denied by an offside position for Kolo Toure minutes ealier, while CSKA's Brazilian striker Vagner Love had a strike disallowed for offside in the first half. CSKA Moscow manager Valery Gazzaev told a news conference afterwards: "Today we played against certainly one of the best teams in Europe and even in the world. They have an excellent professional manager who is probably one of the best in the world. For us this is a great victory. I think that we deserved this victory because we used the correct strategy to win." Defeat for Arsenal ended a run of six consecutive wins in all competitions, including their previous two Champions League games against Hamburg and Porto. It also marked the return of their jinx in Moscow, where they had lost two and drawn one of their three previous visits since 1982. Victory for the hosts sent CSKA to the top of the group on seven points, one ahead of Arsenal. Arsenal was upset with calls by referees that annulled two goals, and having to play in Moscow where the weather was below zero Celsius. Manager Arsene Wenger said of Henry's booking: "Well, it's a very bad decision. You have to to suffer from that decison. And I feel it was a very intense game where we battled very hard to come back and we were on a few occasions a bit short. There was a handicap as well. It was the quality of the pitch. We got an October pitch in Russia and UEFA has to look into that because it's not acceptable that you play on pitches like that in the Champions League." Wenger added: "Well, yes, we lost balls because we were running after the score and then you take chances. And we were not good to stop the counterattacks. They are a good side, you know. They are intelligent and deserve a better pitch as well."

ITN Source | October 19, 2006

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