Champions League: No time for disappointment, says Wenger

Arsenal manager praises team despite loss on aggregate against AC Milan.

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes the disappointment of elimination from the Champions League can spur his team to a top-four finish following their agonising near-miss against AC Milan.

The Gunners bowed out of Europe after narrowly failing to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against the Serie A leaders, with a rousing 3-0 win not enough to prevent the Italians squeezing through 4-3 on aggregate.

For 45 minutes, Arsenal seemed poised to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of European football, with Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Robin van Persie putting them 3-0 up at half-time.

But a more disciplined defensive effort from Milan in the second-half, and a rare squandered chance from the prolific van Persie, saw Arsenal fail to score the fourth goal that would have levelled the tie.

Arsenal’s shattered players could not hide their disappointment following a pulsating encounter but Wenger has urged them to bounce back as they retrain their sights on the Premier League.

“We are on a good run in the league and it will be difficult – I don’t deny that, because tonight was a big disappointment for the players,” said Wenger.

“But the team has grown well together that hopefully from here we can finish the season strongly because there is no room for disappointment. Every point is a battle until the end of the season and that is what is in front of us.”

Wenger praised his side’s display and said the players should be proud of their show.

“The team has fantastic spirit and showed some fight. We’ve paid the price for a bad first game.

“But we have given everything. That is all you can do at the top level – give everything and then you accept the result.”

Meanwhile, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri breathed a huge sigh of relief at the final whistle.

“Did I lose weight during the match? My players have already told me that I must lose weight,” joked Allegri.

“Often one believes that it is going to be too easy ... I am upset about the defeat, but the objective was to reach the last-eight in Europe’s top competition, and with the players we will get back from injury we could go further.”

Benfica also progress to last-eight

Former champions Milan were joined in the last-eight by Portuguese side Benfica.

Benfica produced a professional performance to beat Russian champions Zenit Saint-Petersburg 2-0 on the night - 4-3 on aggregate - to end a three-game win-less streak and make the quarters for the first time since 2006.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2012.