Arsene Wenger’s landmark 1000th match with Arsenal didn’t go quite to plan at the weekend.
It made me think of other unfortunately memorable matches over the years and here are my top five.
5. WENGER’S DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS
Arsenal were expected to mark Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game with the flowing football that has characterised his reign. Instead, the Gunners were two goals down after seven minutes.
Arsene then saw Oxlade-Chamberlain concede a penalty by handballing a shot that was going wide anyway and ref Andree Marriner sent off the wrong man in Kieran Gibbs. Arsenal even made Fernando Torres look good for Oscar’s fourth goal.
A goalkeeping clanger for Oscar’s fifth and pathetic marking for Salah’s sixth goal rounded off Wenger’s terrible day. Before the game, David Dein revealed that he recruited Wenger after being impressed by his ability to play charades at a dinner party. At Stamford Bridge his defence might as well have been playing charades too.
4. BRAZIL BLOW THE WORLD CUP FINAL
In 1950, Brazil only needed to turn up to win the World Cup. As the tournament was played in a group format, Brazil just needed a draw to win the trophy. They were the home side in the newly-built Maracana Stadium so what could possibly go wrong?
Newspapers and thousands of signs in Rio celebrated Brazil as champions before the game. Brazil took the lead, but beset by nerves in front of a 210,000 crowd, let in the equaliser after 66 minutes.
And then came a goalkeeping howler as Barbosa, expecting a cross, let Ghiggia’s shot glide into the net with 11 minutes to go. The rest of the game was played in stunned silence and Brazil’s Football Confederation had to throw away the winners’ medals it had already engraved. Poor Barbosa was vilified for the rest of his life. Doh!
3. LEEDS LOSE OUT TO DODGY GAFFER IN A RAINCOAT
The 1973 FA Cup Final was a chance for Don Revie’s famous Leeds side of Bremner, Hunter, Giles, Clarke and Gray to turn on the style and annihilate second division no-hopers Sunderland.
Only Jim Montgomery made a miraculous double save to deny Cherry and Lorimer after Ian Porterfield had scored the winner. The final humiliation for Leeds was demented Sunderland gaffer Bob Stokoe celebrating on the pitch in a bizarre combo of red tracksuit, raincoat and trilby.
2. BAYERN MUNICH LOSE AT HOME TO CHELSEA RESERVES
The Champions League Final of 2012-13 was played in the Allianz Arena, Bayern’s home ground. All Bayern had to do was beat a Chelsea side without suspended captain John Terry, Ramires and Ivanovic and managed by caretaker Roberto Di Matteo.
Thomas Mueller’s 83rd minute appeared to have won it for Bayern, only for Drogba to equalise with a bullet header from a corner after 88 minutes. Robben then had a penalty saved by Cech in extra time. Finally, it went to penalties and German teams never lose on penalties – except they did as Schweinsteiger hit the post and Drogba converted.
Munich fans were left crying in litres of lager as John Terry got his kit out for the lads.
1. BRAINSFORD MISS OUT ON CUP GLORY
My one thousandth match supporting Brainsford United didn’t go too well either. The second leg of the 2006-07 Semi-Final of the Co-operative Tarpaulins Trophy saw the Meringues 2-0 up from the away leg at Altonbury Rovers and expecting glory in front of a full house.
Only we hadn’t reckoned with Pablo Jose Araganth getting sent off in the second minute, Alphonse Marmalade missing a spot-kick for us and an own goal and a shot from the halfway line in added time resulting in a 3-0 home defeat.
Sort of thing that makes you want to turn off all forms of social media, not leave the house and consider therapy – a feeling Arsene Wenger must know only too well.