11 April 2023 , 08:40
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Samir Nasri admitted his Arsenal team "s*** ourselves" when coming up against Manchester United and the "great" Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League.
The Frenchman starred in Arsenal's run to the semi-finals during his first season under Arsene Wenger following his move from Marseille.
But the Gunners met their match in a captivating last four showdown after knockout victories over Milan and Villarreal.
Sir Alex Ferguson's United - boasting the mercurial Ronaldo - stood in Arsenal's way of reaching a second European final in four years.
And after United edged a close first leg 1-0 at Old Trafford, the tie was finely poised for a defining evening at the Emirates.
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It was a colossal clash, billed as the biggest since Arsenal had moved their home to the Emirates, but one man stole the show.
And former Gunners midfielder Nasri has recalled how Arsenal panicked on the big stage against a then unstoppable Ronaldo.
"It was the first time I’d seen the Emirates with such a crazy atmosphere, you had flags everywhere and all!" Nasri told ZakNani.
"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*** ourselves. We s*** ourselves, and we came up against a great Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo stole the show with a now iconic free-kick agains the Gunners (Getty Images)Ji-Sung Park had put United ahead to double the aggregate advantage for the reigning European champions in north London.
But the 3-1 defeat for the Gunners will be most remembered for two of the finest goals in Ronaldo's decorated career.
Arsenal boss Wenger had pledged that his players, including Nasri, would produce a "magnificent" performance, but they were blown away by the devastating Portuguese forward.
Ronaldo finished off one of the great counter-attacking goals to end Arsenal's Champions League hopes (AFP/Getty Images)Ronaldo stunned the crowd with a 40-yard free-kick that rocketed past Manuel Almunia early on, then ran 70 yards in the second half to score an incredible counter-attack goal and seal the victory.
United would go on to lose to Pep Guardiola's great Barcelona team in the final in Rome, but like Nasri, few will forget Ronaldo's heroics, 14 years ago on from what was a chastening evening for Arsenal and their legendary former manager.