Lukasz Fabianski was roundly praised for his performance during Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup yesterday afternoon. The Pole made a handful of saves to ensure that his side secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
It was a far cry from events four years ago today, when two errors from Fabianski saw the Gunners slump to a 2-1 opening leg Champions League defeat at the hands of Porto at the Estadio do Dragao.
After a frantic start to proceedings in Portugal, the hosts took the lead in the 11th minute. Having tricked his way beyond Gael Clichy on the right flank, Silvestre Varela's cross appeared to be harmless as it bounced towards Fabianski. He failed to deal with the minimal threat, though, as he only helped the ball to cross the line.
The response from the North London club was positive and they were level with 18 minutes played. Cesc Fabregas's corner was flicked on by Thomas Vermaelen for Tomas Rosicky, who headed the ball across the face of goal. Waiting there was centre-back Sol Campbell to nod in the equaliser in what was his first Champions League outing since the 2006 final.
Both teams continued to create opportunities as the half wore on, but parity remained until the whistle was blown for the break.
Seven minutes after the restart, another mistake from Arsenal's stand-in keeper allowed the home team to regain the lead.
From close range, Campbell played the ball back to Fabianski, who picked it up. A free kick was awarded and while the Arsenal defence attempted to regroup, Ruben Micael played in Radamel Falcao to score.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was incensed on the touchline, believing that Campbell's pass-back to Fabianski had been accidental. Nevertheless, the goal stood and despite some late pressure from the visitors, it proved to be the winning strike, meaning that Porto would head to the English capital for the second leg with a one-goal advantage.
Speaking after the final whistle, Wenger said of the referee: "I don't want to go too much into details but he made at least five technical mistakes. I believe he is incompetent or dishonest, so I prefer to believe he is not competent. Usually, I trust the referee. I never have any bad intention but when I speak with referees, I just wanted to understand why he made so many technical mistakes."
Fabianski's misjudgments would not prove to be terminal to Arsenal's Champions League chances, though, as the Gunners registered a 5-0 win in the return leg at the Emirates Stadium.
PORTO: Helton; Alves, Fucile, Rolando, Pereira; Raul Meireles (Costa), Fernando, Micael (Belluschi), Varela; Falcao, Hulk (Gonzalez)
ARSENAL: Fabianski; Sagna, Vermaelen, Campbell, Clichy; Diaby, Fabregas, Rosicky (Walcott), Nasri (Eboue), Denilson; Bendtner (Vela)
Liam Apicella
