Auxerre send Arsenal crashing to another defeat
Mike Collett
Arsenal's hopes of qualifying for the second stage of the Champions League were put on hold for at least a week on Tuesday when they crashed to a shock 2-1 home defeat to French champions AJ Auxerre.
Arsenal, who lost their seven-month unbeaten record with a premier league 2-1 defeat at Everton on Saturday, had gone into the Group A game with a maximum nine points from three games, knowing a win would ensure progress with two games to spare.
But Auxerre stunned Highbury in the eighth minute when Ivorian striker Oliver Kapo drove a fierce low shot beyond David Seaman.
Khalilou Fadiga then doubled the lead in the 28th minute after a driving run by defender Jean-Alain Boumsong who benefited from a lucky bounce off Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
Nwankwo Kanu pulled one back eight minutes into the second half but other good chances were few and far between.
Arsenal remain top with nine points while Auxerre are back in contention on four.
OUTSTANDING GOAL
Arsenal, missing Dennis Bergkamp because of an Achilles injury looked strangely out of sorts against Auxerre, who were without their injured talismanic striker Djibril Cisse.
But they took the match to Arsenal from the kick-off and Kapo gave them a deserved early lead with an outstanding goal.
Collecting the ball from a throw-in, he controlled it, knocked the ball through Patrick Vieira's legs and blasted a curling left-footed shot past the Arsenal defence and Seaman from 22 metres.
Seaman, under pressure to keep his place in the England team, was also culpable for Auxerre's second.
Ashley Cole was a little unlucky in that his clearance span up into the air off Boumsong, but Auxerre scored because Fadiga reacted slightly quicker than Seaman to sweep it home.
A year ago Seaman would have been much quicker off his line and probably saved it.
A clever run down the right by Lauren and a pass through to Thierry Henry set up Kanu for a simple goal to revive Arsenal's hopes, but they never really threatened a second.
The only bright note for Arsenal was the return of French midfielder Robert Pires as a 72nd-minute substitute after a seven-month injury lay-off but he made no impact on a night Auxerre will long remember for a well-deserved victory.
