Gilberto stops Riquelme in semi final
April 20, 2006
Villarreal’s Juan Roman Riquelme was well and truly subdued last night against Arsenal, thanks to Gilberto.
Arsene Wenger had earmarked him beforehand as the obvious threat, the man Arsenal had to tame if Highbury’s farewell to floodlights, its goodbye to Europe, was going to end with an emotional flourish. Coping with the elusive threat of Villarreal’s Juan Roman Riquelme always lay central to gaining the upper hand in this Champions League semi-final.
It was crystal clear, too, that in this regard Gilberto Silva would play a crucial part, given his anchorman role at the base of Arsenal’s five-man midfield. If the Brazilian could keep tabs on his man, negate the Argentine playmaker’s sublime range of skills, then a trip to Paris on May 17 would become ever more likely.
As expected, Arsenal’s languid World Cup winner didn’t man-mark – that isn’t his manager’s style – but he did stay very close when his man got the ball. In the event, that wasn’t too often in the first half. Never one for wondering beyond the width of the penalty box, Riquelme was struggling to dictate the tempo, even though his team saw plenty of the ball.
That wasn’t all Gilberto did. He was also busy in attack, having several shots at goal. He put Thierry Henry through on goal once too, and was often back behind the defence sorting out their strikers.
He was also at the centre of controversy surrounding a penalty decision, when he bought down Jose Mari. 60% of BBC users said that it wasn’t a penalty – and so did the referee.
Toure had this to say after the game:
“We defended really well and Gilberto did a great job marking Riquelme, so hopefully we can do the same out there.
Some Arsenal fans hailed Gilberto as man of the match, as he patrolled the midfield and stopped Villarreal attacks before they happened.
Well done Gilberto – win or draw the next game, and you’ll be part of your first ever Champions League Final!