999r
October 23rd, 2005, 11:31 AM
http://home.skysports.com/images/playerpics05_06/Premiership/Arsenal/pires_miss.jpg
Arsenal earned a welcome 1-0 win over Manchester City in a lacklustre game that was defined by two penalty incidents, one straightforward and one bordering on the humiliating.
Robert Pires first converted after Thierry Henry had been felled by David James before the French winger was handed another chance when David Sommeil upended Dennis Bergkamp.
However instead of netting his second Pires astonishingly chose to pass to Henry, only grazing the top of the ball in the process, and as City's players ran in to clear referee Mike Riley handed the visitors a free-kick. :bounce:
What had been a largely forgettable affair suddenly took a turn for the bizarre when Bergkamp won a penalty after Sommeil upended him in the box.
Pires looked all set to claim his second of the game from the spot but, in a frankly astonishing turn of events, the star only scraped the top of the ball as he looked to pass to Henry.
Confusion reigned as City's players, unperturbed by Pires's almost unprecedented decision, stole in and cleared the ball from the spot, and referee Mike Riley opted to hand the visitors a free kick as he deemed the Frenchman's plan not permissible.
http://img1.eurosport.com/imgbk/footbl/all/big_md-i206593.jpg
The peculiar penalty was the main talking point of the clash, but as the game drew to a close the pace quickened and City saw a Vassell goal ruled out for offside, although it was a borderline decision as the striker headed in.
http://img1.eurosport.com//////imgbk/footbl/all/md-i206619.jpg
Pires says sorry
Robert Pires has apologised for his part in the Arsenal penalty farce, but suggested Thierry Henry was the source of the problem.
Pires scored the only goal of game against Manchester City which brought Arsenal back to winning ways in The Premiership, but the game will be remembered for the penalty farce which took place in the second half.
French midfielder Pires stepped up and tried to pass to compatriot Henry, but he only succeeded in grazing the ball and a free kick was awarded to City.
It would appear that the pair were trying to replicate Johan Cruyff's goal for Ajax, but ended up with egg on their faces.
Pires has acted quickly to apologise for the aberration and says there will never be a repeat.
"It was Thierry's idea, and something we had practiced on the training ground," Pires said. "But I shouldn't have done it.
"We tried it two days ago in training and it worked. We tried it again today, well," said an unrepentant Pires. "I didn't want to do it because - at 1-0 - anything can happen.
"It's something you can do - perhaps people didn't know, now they do - but we really wanted to make it work and really wanted to score
"It was the wrong game in which to try it, and I have apologised to the manager and the other players.
"I will not be attempting it again unless Thierry is the one passing to me." :blahblah:
Wenger:
"What is terrible is it will be interpreted as a lack of seriousness and respect but I think it is because he is too serious," he said.
"He decided to do that because he was a bit insecure about taking the second penalty because it has never happened to him and he was scared to miss it.
"We got away with it because we won the game. I feel the intention of Robert was not a lack of seriousness. It was just a wrong and a bad decision."
Pearce:
City boss Stuart Pearce - who famously missed a penalty in the 1990 World Cup semi-final - was full of praise though for Pires' imagination.
"If somebody does something that is new and innovative why should we sit back and criticise it," he said. "I've got to give my defenders credit. There were two of them on the spot as soon as Pires did what he did."
Arsenal earned a welcome 1-0 win over Manchester City in a lacklustre game that was defined by two penalty incidents, one straightforward and one bordering on the humiliating.
Robert Pires first converted after Thierry Henry had been felled by David James before the French winger was handed another chance when David Sommeil upended Dennis Bergkamp.
However instead of netting his second Pires astonishingly chose to pass to Henry, only grazing the top of the ball in the process, and as City's players ran in to clear referee Mike Riley handed the visitors a free-kick. :bounce:
What had been a largely forgettable affair suddenly took a turn for the bizarre when Bergkamp won a penalty after Sommeil upended him in the box.
Pires looked all set to claim his second of the game from the spot but, in a frankly astonishing turn of events, the star only scraped the top of the ball as he looked to pass to Henry.
Confusion reigned as City's players, unperturbed by Pires's almost unprecedented decision, stole in and cleared the ball from the spot, and referee Mike Riley opted to hand the visitors a free kick as he deemed the Frenchman's plan not permissible.
http://img1.eurosport.com/imgbk/footbl/all/big_md-i206593.jpg
The peculiar penalty was the main talking point of the clash, but as the game drew to a close the pace quickened and City saw a Vassell goal ruled out for offside, although it was a borderline decision as the striker headed in.
http://img1.eurosport.com//////imgbk/footbl/all/md-i206619.jpg
Pires says sorry
Robert Pires has apologised for his part in the Arsenal penalty farce, but suggested Thierry Henry was the source of the problem.
Pires scored the only goal of game against Manchester City which brought Arsenal back to winning ways in The Premiership, but the game will be remembered for the penalty farce which took place in the second half.
French midfielder Pires stepped up and tried to pass to compatriot Henry, but he only succeeded in grazing the ball and a free kick was awarded to City.
It would appear that the pair were trying to replicate Johan Cruyff's goal for Ajax, but ended up with egg on their faces.
Pires has acted quickly to apologise for the aberration and says there will never be a repeat.
"It was Thierry's idea, and something we had practiced on the training ground," Pires said. "But I shouldn't have done it.
"We tried it two days ago in training and it worked. We tried it again today, well," said an unrepentant Pires. "I didn't want to do it because - at 1-0 - anything can happen.
"It's something you can do - perhaps people didn't know, now they do - but we really wanted to make it work and really wanted to score
"It was the wrong game in which to try it, and I have apologised to the manager and the other players.
"I will not be attempting it again unless Thierry is the one passing to me." :blahblah:
Wenger:
"What is terrible is it will be interpreted as a lack of seriousness and respect but I think it is because he is too serious," he said.
"He decided to do that because he was a bit insecure about taking the second penalty because it has never happened to him and he was scared to miss it.
"We got away with it because we won the game. I feel the intention of Robert was not a lack of seriousness. It was just a wrong and a bad decision."
Pearce:
City boss Stuart Pearce - who famously missed a penalty in the 1990 World Cup semi-final - was full of praise though for Pires' imagination.
"If somebody does something that is new and innovative why should we sit back and criticise it," he said. "I've got to give my defenders credit. There were two of them on the spot as soon as Pires did what he did."