LONDON, 24 August 2004 — Strikers Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp were the men behind Arsenal’s pulsating 5-3 comeback win over Middlesbrough on Sunday, scoring or making all of the champions’ goals in a Highbury classic.
Heading for defeat after trailing 3-1 in the second half, Arsenal came back for a victory that equaled Nottingham Forest’s 42-match unbeaten league run.
France’s Henry and Dutchman Bergkamp, who was only given a new one-year contract in May, were on unstoppable form in a game that also took them back to the top of the Premier League. Arsenal dominated the first half, with Swede Fredrik Ljungberg having a shot cleared off the line and Spanish forward Jose Antonio Reyes hitting the post in an early melee.
Henry, the Premier League’s top scorer last season, made no mistake with his lob over keeper Mark Schwarzer though, after Boro’s rearguard had been caught out by a long ball upfield. Arsenal kept possession but began easing off the pressure on a packed Boro defense, with the main threat coming from a Henry free kick which rattled Schwarzer’s crossbar.
They paid the price just two minutes before halftime when Franck Queudrue was allowed a mazy run through Arsenal’s half before laying the ball off for Cameroon striker Joseph-Desire Job, who hit an unstoppable shot past Jens Lehmann.
Celtic Reclaim Lead With 3-1 Win Over 10-Man Inverness
In Glasgow, Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League on Sunday with Wales striker John Hartson scoring twice for the champions in a 3-1 win over 10-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Stilian Petrov netted the Glasgow side’s other goal with an excellent finish after missing a penalty to break the resistance of Inverness, who had Spanish winger Juanjo sent off on 19 minutes for allegedly head butting Neil Lennon off the ball.
Promoted Inverness, who have been forced to play home games at Aberdeen because their ground is too small, twice eliminated Celtic from the Scottish Cup in the past four years in huge upsets. Inverness equalized Hartson’s 25th-minute header just before halftime when goalkeeper David Marshall missed an attempted punch. Barry Wilson slotted home the penalty.
Lyon Snatch Draw at Metz but Lose Striker Elber
In Paris, Olympique Lyon snatched a 1-1 draw at Metz but the French champions lost goal scorer Giovane Elber with a broken ankle in their Ligue 1 match on Sunday.
Elber was carried off on a stretcher in the 51st minute and the early medical tests revealed the Brazilian striker had broken his right ankle.
He should be sidelined for several weeks, according to Lyon staff who declined to give more specific details, and is therefore extremely doubtful for his team’s first matches in the Champions League group stage which starts next month. Metz went in front thanks to Franck Ribery who dribbled past the last Lyon defender to beat goalkeeper Gregory Coupet on the half hour. Lyon fought back with a 65th-minute equalizer by substitute Florent Balmont.
Moenchengladbach out of German Cup
In Berlin, Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach crashed out of the German Cup on Sunday after a humiliating defeat to the amateurs of FC Bayern Munich in a dramatic penalty shootout. It was the second upset in the first round of the competition after Hamburg SV were beaten 4-2 by Paderborn on Saturday.
Moenchengladbach started lethargically against the more active Bayern amateurs who went ahead in the 35th minute with a penalty by Daniel Jungwirth. Joris van Hout equalized for Moenchengladbach in the 85th minute, but they were reduced to 10 men in extra time when captain Christian Ziege was sent off for a second yellow card. The amateurs showed the steelier nerves in the penalty shootout when three Moenchengladbach players failed to score, with Bernd Korzynietz shooting wide and Marcelo Pletsch over the crossbar.
