"Came up against a great Cristiano Ronaldo" - Samir Nasri recalls how Arsenal 's**t' themselves in 2009 UCL semi-final against Manchester United
Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has admitted his side's fears about facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United in their Champions League clash in 2009.
The Gunners and the Red Devils locked horns in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash in the 2008-09 campaign. Manchester United, under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, traveled to the Emirates with a one-goal lead on aggregate.
Arsenal suffered a brutal 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Red Devils as Ji-Sung Park scored a goal and Ronaldo bagged a brace in the encounter. Robin van Persie managed to find the back of the net after converting a penalty. The Gunners were knocked out of the competition following the result.
🗣️ "We s*** ourselves." 👀
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Nasri, who played the entire 90 minutes in the match, has now reflected on facing a 24-year-old Ronaldo. The Frenchman opened up about his time in the Premier League in an interview with ZackNaniProd.
Touching on the semi-final tie against Manchester United, he said (as quoted by the Daily Mail):
"It was the first time I'd seen the Emirates with such a crazy atmosphere, you had flags everywhere and all! When you go into a match with shivers down your spine, you can feel you're going to have a great game. And we s**t ourselves. We s**t ourselves, and we came up against a great Cristiano Ronaldo."
Nasri registered 125 appearances across competitions for Arsenal over the course of his career at the Emirates, recording 27 goals and 15 assists.
"It was perfect" - Ex-Arsenal midfielder names former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo as the GOAT
Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has lavished praise on former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, lauding him as the greatest player of all time.
The German announced his retirement from professional football in March. In an interview with Marca shortly after, Ozil reflected on his career as a whole. He also reflected on his time with the former Manchester United forward in Spain.
Ozil said:
"It was a lot of fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, who for me is the greatest player of all time. We both understood each other very well on the field, it was perfect. I would attend and he would score. Giving passes to a player who almost never missed was a gift."
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When asked to choose one partner on the pitch, he said:
"As the best individual player, I would stay with Cristiano Ronaldo. The best leader, Sergio Ramos. The best striker in front of goal: my boy Benzi [Karim Benzema]!"
Arsenal will next face West Ham United on 16 April while Manchester United will lock horns with Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League on 14 April.