Arsenal come unstuck in the mud as Champions League hopes fade in Madrid

Arsenal's realistic hopes of silverware this season wash away in the Madrid mudbath as La Real overpower the Gunners

Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal's Champions League hopes hang by a thread following a disastrous night in awful conditions that saw hosts Real Madrid establish a two-goal lead in their quarter-final first leg. With this competition Arsenal's last realistic shot at silverware this season, the Gunners are now staring at the prospect of a first trophyless campaign in three years.

For the second time in a fortnight, Arsenal had to get to grips with a pitch that was borderline unplayable, and frankly unacceptable, for a Champions League quarter-final (as club legend Ian Wright pointed out in no uncertain terms). As witnessed against Liverpool in the FA Cup 10 days prior, their attempts to adapt to the conditions were forlorn, and it was hosts Real that were able to profit on the Madrid mudbath.

Unlike the game against Liverpool, this was a match in which both sides endeavoured to keep the ball on the so-called playing surface. For the most part, both teams struggled with their build-up; the ball rolling unpredictably, sliding across parts of weather-worn turf. In a game predominantly dictated by the soft factors, Madrid's transition threat was the most telling from a tactical perspective, with both goals coming from such situations.