So it has been a bit of a weird and not altogether satisfying opening of the campaign for the Gunners and their fans. Their opening Premier League fixture was a draw to Newcastle, and resulted in two of their players getting 3 match bans for an altercation late in the match. Then, the sale of Captain Cesc Fabregas finally went through. To say Arsenal was in a bit of tumult was an understatement.
So they were hoping a Champions League qualifying round victory verses Udinese might be just the ticket to get their season going. Still, battling the Serie A side wasn't going to be easy. New Captain Robin Van Persie was serving a suspension for being sent off last year against Barca, and manager Arsene Wenger was serving a one match ban stemming from the same match.
Arsenal got off to a dream start, with Theo Walcott volleying a cross into the back of the net to give them a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute. It would prove to be the game's only goal. For the next 25 minutes or so, Arsenal continued the attack, but wasn't able to find the second.
Then things started to go downhill for them. Udinese got their feet under them and really started to take it to Arsenal. Antonio Di Natale, the leading scorer in Serie A the past two seasons, torched the Arsenal defense on several occasions. He had two great chances: one a free kick that hit the cross bar and the other denied by a reaction save from Sczczesny. Otherwise, Udinese might have been heading home with the advantage.
The final score proved to be 1-0. Arsenal got the win they needed, but Udinese really outplayed them for the majority of the match. Wenger should be troubled by his defensive miscues. For the Italians, they should be going home for the return leg with a lot of confidence. We'll see what happens next week.
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