The 2007 Emirates Cup was the inaugural pre-season men's association footballfriendly tournament hosted by Arsenal. It took place at the club's home ground, the Emirates Stadium during the weekend of 28 July and 29 July 2007. The idea of a pre-season competition staged at Arsenal first came about during the 2006–07 season; once planning was complete, the club invited three other European clubs to participate in the event: Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia. The latter club replaced Hamburg as the German side had Intertoto Cup commitments.
The competition follows a point scoring system much like the Amsterdam Tournament, whereby each team plays two matches, with three points awarded for a win, one point for a draw and none for a loss. An additional point is awarded for every goal scored. Arsenal did not face Valencia, and Inter did not play against Paris Saint-Germain. On the first day of the Emirates Cup, Valencia beat Inter Milan by two goals, while Arsenal defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2–1. Valencia's loss to Paris Saint-Germain on day two meant Arsenal needed to beat Inter Milan in order to finish top of the group. They went a goal behind in the second half, but goals from Alexander Hleb and Robin van Persie secured the cup win. The tournament was well attended with over 110,000 filling the Emirates Stadium across the two-day tournament.[1]
In March 2007 Arsenal announced their intention to stage a pre-season competition at their home ground, the Emirates Stadium. Managing director Keith Edelman revealed plans were at an exploratory stage, and added: "It would be in pre-season, around late July, and tickets would be reasonably priced. We feel it could be a really exciting event."[2] Details of the tournament were formally announced five weeks later, with Italian champions Inter Milan, French side Paris Saint-Germain and German outfit Hamburg confirmed as participants.[3] Hamburg's qualification into the Intertoto Cup however meant they withdrew from the competition; the club were subsequently replaced by Spain's Valencia.[4] The two-day competition was televised live in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports.[5]
Summaryedit
Inter Milan faced Valencia in the opening match of the tournament; manager Roberto Mancini named an experienced Inter team that included defender Marco Materazzi and forward Zlatan Ibrahimović.[6] Valencia began the much the stronger of the two, and went ahead in the 13th minute when Jaime Gavilán scored. The midfielder had received the ball from a cross, and managed to guide it under goalkeeper Francesco Toldo.[6] Referee Alan Kelly turned down Inter Milan's appeals for a penalty, when a challenge by Valencia defender Iván Helguera had caused Luís Figo to tumble in the area.[6] Inter nearly equalised through Maxwell as his effort hit the post, but conceded their second goal of the match minutes before the interval.[6] Materazzi fouled David Villa outside the penalty area, and his deflected free-kick sailed into the net. Substitutions for both sides in the second half led to further chances, all of which came to nothing.[6]
Robin van Persie scored Arsenal's winning goal against Inter Milan.
The hosts Arsenal played Paris Saint-Germain in the later game. Although the visitors dominated play in the first 45 minutes, they went behind at the cusp of half-time, when Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini scored.[7] He collected the ball from Nicklas Bendtner and his first-time shot went in off the post.[7] Wenger tweaked his team's formation after the break from their customary 4–4–2 to 4–4–1–1 and made five changes to his team. He positioned right-back Emmanuel Eboué as a midfielder, and Alexander Hleb behind Bendtner.[7] Arsenal's performance improved in the second half and they doubled their lead through Bendtner in the 70th minute.[8] Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia immediately denied Pauleta with a stretching save at the far post, but could not prevent Péguy Luyindula from scoring. Arsenal held on to win by two goals.[8]
On the second day of the tournament Paris Saint-Germain beat Valencia by three goals.[9] The French club had made five changes to the side that lost against Arsenal,[10] which worked to their favour as Amara Diané and David N'Gog each scored inside 30 minutes.[9] Valencia struggled to match their opponents' intensity, though remained a threat with Fernando Morientes' arrival in the second half.[10] The match was settled with five minutes remaining of normal time; Luyindula, on as a substitute, received a pass from Loris Arnaud which drew goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand out of his area and allowed the French striker to tap the ball into an empty net.[10]
Needing to beat Inter Milan to win the Emirates Cup, Arsenal failed to take the initiative and went behind after 62 minutes. William Gallas' negligence to spot the incoming David Suazo meant the Inter striker was able to head the ball past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.[11] Arsenal regrouped quickly and scored five minutes later; a well-worked move between Eboué and Bacary Sagna set Hleb up to shoot, but his effort was saved by Toldo.[11] The ball rebounded to the Arsenal midfielder, whose second shot went into the far corner. Near the end of normal time Robin van Persie scored a "wonder goal" to secure the win.[12] Collecting a long pass from Eboué, the striker weaved past his opponent and dragged the ball back, before hitting it high into the far corner. Wenger said of Van Persie's winner: "It was a great goal but I'm pleased we had a great team performance. As a team I think we played very well and that is most important."[13]
Standingsedit
Each team plays two matches, with three points awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and a point for every goal scored.[14]
Saaid, Hamdan (10 September 2015). "Emirates Cup 2007". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
Specific
^"Emirates Cup brings out the big guns". Emirates. 21 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
^Clarke, Richard (29 March 2007). . Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
^. Arsenal F.C. 1 May 2007. Archived from the original on 3 May 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
^. Arsenal F.C. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
^"The week ahead". The Guardian. London. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
^ abcdeClark, Adam (28 July 2007). . Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ abcClarke, Richard (28 July 2007). . Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ ab"Arsenal see off PSG in Emirates Cup". Reuters. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ ab"Van Persie wins Emirates Cup for Arsenal". Reuters. 29 July 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ abcClark, Adam (29 July 2007). . Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ abClarke, Richard (29 July 2007). "Emirates Cup: Arsenal 2–1 Inter Milan". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^Fifield, Dominic (30 July 2007). "Van Persie shows there is life at Arsenal after Henry". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^. Arsenal F.C. 29 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^. Arsenal F.C. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2007 Emirates Cup.
Official website
December 18, 2023
2007, emirates, inaugural, season, association, football, friendly, tournament, hosted, arsenal, took, place, club, home, ground, emirates, stadium, during, weekend, july, july, 2007, idea, season, competition, staged, arsenal, first, came, about, during, 2006. The 2007 Emirates Cup was the inaugural pre season men s association football friendly tournament hosted by Arsenal It took place at the club s home ground the Emirates Stadium during the weekend of 28 July and 29 July 2007 The idea of a pre season competition staged at Arsenal first came about during the 2006 07 season once planning was complete the club invited three other European clubs to participate in the event Inter Milan Paris Saint Germain and Valencia The latter club replaced Hamburg as the German side had Intertoto Cup commitments 2007 Emirates CupTournament detailsHost countryEnglandCityLondonDates28 29 JulyTeams4 from 1 confederation Venue s 1 in 1 host city Final positionsChampionsArsenal 1st title Runners upParis Saint GermainThird placeValenciaFourth placeInter MilanTournament statisticsMatches played4Goals scored11 2 75 per match Top scorer s Peguy Luyindula 2 goals 2008 The competition follows a point scoring system much like the Amsterdam Tournament whereby each team plays two matches with three points awarded for a win one point for a draw and none for a loss An additional point is awarded for every goal scored Arsenal did not face Valencia and Inter did not play against Paris Saint Germain On the first day of the Emirates Cup Valencia beat Inter Milan by two goals while Arsenal defeated Paris Saint Germain 2 1 Valencia s loss to Paris Saint Germain on day two meant Arsenal needed to beat Inter Milan in order to finish top of the group They went a goal behind in the second half but goals from Alexander Hleb and Robin van Persie secured the cup win The tournament was well attended with over 110 000 filling the Emirates Stadium across the two day tournament 1 Contents 1 Background 2 Summary 3 Standings 4 Matches 5 Goalscorers 6 References 7 External linksBackground editIn March 2007 Arsenal announced their intention to stage a pre season competition at their home ground the Emirates Stadium Managing director Keith Edelman revealed plans were at an exploratory stage and added It would be in pre season around late July and tickets would be reasonably priced We feel it could be a really exciting event 2 Details of the tournament were formally announced five weeks later with Italian champions Inter Milan French side Paris Saint Germain and German outfit Hamburg confirmed as participants 3 Hamburg s qualification into the Intertoto Cup however meant they withdrew from the competition the club were subsequently replaced by Spain s Valencia 4 The two day competition was televised live in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports 5 Summary editInter Milan faced Valencia in the opening match of the tournament manager Roberto Mancini named an experienced Inter team that included defender Marco Materazzi and forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic 6 Valencia began the much the stronger of the two and went ahead in the 13th minute when Jaime Gavilan scored The midfielder had received the ball from a cross and managed to guide it under goalkeeper Francesco Toldo 6 Referee Alan Kelly turned down Inter Milan s appeals for a penalty when a challenge by Valencia defender Ivan Helguera had caused Luis Figo to tumble in the area 6 Inter nearly equalised through Maxwell as his effort hit the post but conceded their second goal of the match minutes before the interval 6 Materazzi fouled David Villa outside the penalty area and his deflected free kick sailed into the net Substitutions for both sides in the second half led to further chances all of which came to nothing 6 nbsp Robin van Persie scored Arsenal s winning goal against Inter Milan The hosts Arsenal played Paris Saint Germain in the later game Although the visitors dominated play in the first 45 minutes they went behind at the cusp of half time when Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini scored 7 He collected the ball from Nicklas Bendtner and his first time shot went in off the post 7 Wenger tweaked his team s formation after the break from their customary 4 4 2 to 4 4 1 1 and made five changes to his team He positioned right back Emmanuel Eboue as a midfielder and Alexander Hleb behind Bendtner 7 Arsenal s performance improved in the second half and they doubled their lead through Bendtner in the 70th minute 8 Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia immediately denied Pauleta with a stretching save at the far post but could not prevent Peguy Luyindula from scoring Arsenal held on to win by two goals 8 On the second day of the tournament Paris Saint Germain beat Valencia by three goals 9 The French club had made five changes to the side that lost against Arsenal 10 which worked to their favour as Amara Diane and David N Gog each scored inside 30 minutes 9 Valencia struggled to match their opponents intensity though remained a threat with Fernando Morientes arrival in the second half 10 The match was settled with five minutes remaining of normal time Luyindula on as a substitute received a pass from Loris Arnaud which drew goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand out of his area and allowed the French striker to tap the ball into an empty net 10 Needing to beat Inter Milan to win the Emirates Cup Arsenal failed to take the initiative and went behind after 62 minutes William Gallas negligence to spot the incoming David Suazo meant the Inter striker was able to head the ball past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann 11 Arsenal regrouped quickly and scored five minutes later a well worked move between Eboue and Bacary Sagna set Hleb up to shoot but his effort was saved by Toldo 11 The ball rebounded to the Arsenal midfielder whose second shot went into the far corner Near the end of normal time Robin van Persie scored a wonder goal to secure the win 12 Collecting a long pass from Eboue the striker weaved past his opponent and dragged the ball back before hitting it high into the far corner Wenger said of Van Persie s winner It was a great goal but I m pleased we had a great team performance As a team I think we played very well and that is most important 13 Standings editEach team plays two matches with three points awarded for a win one point for a draw and a point for every goal scored 14 Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts1 Arsenal 2 2 0 0 4 2 2 102 Paris Saint Germain 2 1 0 1 4 2 2 73 Valencia 2 1 0 1 2 3 1 54 Inter Milan 2 0 0 2 1 4 3 1Source 15 Matches editDay 128 July 200714 00 BSTInter Milan0 2ValenciaReport Gavilan nbsp 13 Villa nbsp 39 Emirates Stadium LondonAttendance 55 106Referee Alan Kelly 28 July 200716 15 BSTArsenal2 1Paris Saint GermainFlamini nbsp 45 Bendtner nbsp 70 Report Luyindula nbsp 80 Emirates Stadium LondonAttendance 55 106Referee Peter Walton Day 229 July 200714 00 BSTParis Saint Germain3 0ValenciaDiane nbsp 15 N Gog nbsp 30 Luyindula nbsp 85 ReportEmirates Stadium LondonAttendance 59 821Referee Andre Marriner 29 July 200716 15 BSTArsenal2 1Inter MilanHleb nbsp 67 Van Persie nbsp 85 Report Suazo nbsp 62 Emirates Stadium LondonAttendance 59 821Referee Mark HalseyGoalscorers edit nbsp Peguy Luyindula was the tournament s topscorer with two goals Rank Name Team Goals1 nbsp Peguy Luyindula Paris Saint Germain 22 nbsp Nicklas Bendtner Arsenal 1 nbsp Amara Diane Paris Saint Germain nbsp Mathieu Flamini Arsenal nbsp Jaime Gavilan Valencia nbsp Alexander Hleb Arsenal nbsp David N Gog Paris Saint Germain nbsp David Suazo Inter Milan nbsp Robin van Persie Arsenal nbsp David Villa ValenciaReferences editGeneral Saaid Hamdan 10 September 2015 Emirates Cup 2007 Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation RSSSF Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 9 July 2016 Specific Emirates Cup brings out the big guns Emirates 21 April 2008 Archived from the original on 4 August 2016 Retrieved 18 June 2016 Clarke Richard 29 March 2007 Pre season tournament planned for Emirates Arsenal F C Archived from the original on 2016 06 29 Retrieved 18 June 2016 Emirates Stadium to host pre season tournament Arsenal F C 1 May 2007 Archived from the original on 3 May 2007 Retrieved 17 June 2016 Valencia replace Hamburg at Emirates Cup Arsenal F C 11 June 2007 Archived from the original on 2016 06 29 Retrieved 18 June 2016 The week ahead The Guardian London 23 July 2007 Retrieved 9 July 2016 a b c d e Clark Adam 28 July 2007 Emirates Cup Inter Milan 0 2 Valencia Arsenal F C Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 14 July 2016 a b c Clarke Richard 28 July 2007 Emirates Cup Arsenal 2 1 Paris S G Arsenal F C Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 14 July 2016 a b Arsenal see off PSG in Emirates Cup Reuters 28 July 2007 Retrieved 14 July 2016 a b Van Persie wins Emirates Cup for Arsenal Reuters 29 July 2007 Retrieved 14 July 2016 a b c Clark Adam 29 July 2007 Emirates Cup Paris S G 3 0 Valencia Arsenal F C Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 14 July 2016 a b Clarke Richard 29 July 2007 Emirates Cup Arsenal 2 1 Inter Milan Arsenal F C Retrieved 14 July 2016 Fifield Dominic 30 July 2007 Van Persie shows there is life at Arsenal after Henry The Guardian London Retrieved 14 July 2016 Wenger The team spirit is absolutely fantastic Arsenal F C 29 July 2007 Archived from the original on 9 August 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2016 Emirates Cup Competition rules amp regulations Arsenal F C 27 July 2007 Archived from the original on 2016 06 29 Retrieved 9 July 2016 Saaid 2015 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2007 Emirates Cup Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2007 Emirates Cup amp oldid 1137614240, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
