MX23RW : Sunday, December 22 19:13:40| >> :60:3451:3451:

Samir Nasri: 'Arsenal were robbed against Barcelona in Champions League'

Samir Nasri: 'Arsenal were robbed against Barcelona in Champions League'
© Reuters
Ex-Arsenal attacker Samir Nasri claims that the Gunners were "robbed" in their 2010-11 Champions League last-16 defeat to Barcelona.

Former Arsenal winger Samir Nasri has claimed that the Gunners were "robbed" during their 2010-11 Champions League tie with Barcelona in the last 16.

The ex-France international's final season at Arsenal saw Arsene Wenger's men claim one of the most iconic victories of the Emirates era when they welcomed Pep Guardiola's Barcelona to North London.

One year after being dumped out of the quarter-finals 6-3 on aggregate to Barca, Arsenal were fighting an uphill battle to stay alive in the 2010-11 first leg when David Villa raced through to fire La Blaugrana into a first-half lead.

However, Robin van Persie finished from a tight angle in the second half to level the scores, before a slick passing move ended with Nasri picking out Andrey Arshavin to curl home a stunning winner.

Arsenal travelled to Camp Nou with a 2-1 lead to protect, and Barcelona were on course for a shock elimination after Sergio Busquets's own goal cancelled out a Lionel Messi strike.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie remonstrates with referee Massimo Busacca in 2011© Reuters

Just three minutes after restoring parity, though, Arsenal controversially went down to 10 men as Van Persie kicked the ball away after the referee had blown his whistle - incurring a second yellow card in the process.

A bewildered Van Persie claimed not to have heard Massimo Busacca's whistle, but the official's decision stood, and Arsenal ultimately bowed out with a 3-1 loss at Camp Nou as Xavi and Messi struck in the second half.

To this day, the decision to send Van Persie off remains a hot-button topic, and speaking during an interview with ZackNaniProd, Nasri has insisted that Arsenal were "robbed" of a place in the quarter-finals.

"We played with an injured [Cesc] Fabregas – who wanted to play anyway, because it's against Barcelona and he was leaving – and Van Persie gets a red card, because he hadn't heard the referee's whistle," Nasri said, as translated by GFFN.

"Try playing with ten men at the Nou Camp, where the pitch feels like twice the size of the one at your stadium, and you already weren't seeing much of the ball. We were robbed in that game."

Samir Nasri warms up for West Ham United on January 2, 2019© Reuters

Barcelona went on to defeat Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 Champions League final, while Arsenal are still waiting for their maiden top-level European crown.

Nasri - who also lost the 2010-11 EFL Cup final with Arsenal to Birmingham City - spent three years at the Emirates after leaving Marseille in 2008, scoring 27 goals and providing 15 assists in 125 games.

The 35-year-old acrimoniously departed for Manchester City in 2011, winning two Premier League titles and coming up with 27 goals and 40 assists in 176 matches during a five-year stint at the Etihad Stadium.

Nasri also spent time with Sevilla, West Ham United, Antalyaspor and Anderlecht before hanging up his boots in 2021, having also earned 41 caps for the France national team.

ID:511080:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6132:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Click here for more stories about Samir Nasri

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal celebrate Reiss Nelson's goal against Bournemouth on March 4, 2023
Read Next:
Nelson, Arshavin, Welbeck - Ranking Arsenal's most dramatic Emirates goals
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Lions
@
Bears
6pm
Browns
@
Bengals
6pm
Patriots
@
Bills
6pm
Titans
@
Colts
6pm
Giants
@
Falcons
6pm
Rams
@
Jets
6pm
Cardinals
@
Panthers
6pm
Eagles
@
Washington
9.05pm
Vikings
@
Seahawks
9.25pm
49ers
@
Dolphins
9.25pm
Jags
@
Raiders
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!