I was unable to watch this game because ESPN2 did not televise it in my area. I was so incensed about this most unfortunate incident that I wrote a letter to ESPN about it. The letter and their response is below:
A good friend of mine noted that ESPN had their “stock” response ready at the helm, surely to fire back when and others like me surely voiced their complaints as well. While I think he’s right about the response. I guess things are a little more complicated than we think about television rights. But my contention is that are we that far off to assume that if ESPN has had the English rights all along wouldn’t they continue to have them until the end of the competition ? Isn’t this stuff negotiated on a per season rather than a per game basis ? One would think this is reasonable but what do I know. Of course this most likely implies no second leg either. Seriously bummed out:
>From: Ask ESPN TV
>Reply-To: Ask ESPN TV
>To:
>Subject: Re: UEFA Champions League
>Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:19:53 -0700
>Thank you for your e-mail.
>
>A channel called Setanta Sports (not affiliated
with ESPN) has the
>English rights to both AC Milan vs. FC Barcelona
semifinal legs. ESPN
>Deportes, ESPN's Spanish network, will also
televise both legs from AC
>Milan vs. FC Barcelona. (Next match on April 25,
2:30 p.m. ET).
>
>ESPN2 has the English rights to both semifinal legs
of Arsenal vs.
>Villareal and the finals May 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
>
>Sincerely,
>ESPN Viewer Response
> >subject = UEFA Champions League
> >message = I was frustrated and angered by your
> decision to move the UEFA
> >Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and
> AC Milan on April 18
> >to ESPNDeportes only. Because my cable carrier
> does not carry that, I
> >was unable to watch the game.
> >
> >What is especially illogical to me is that, after
> showing Champions
> >League games for many years now and after having
> televised most of the
> >competition this year, how can you justify moving
> what was arguably the
> >best of the semi-final matchups game off of ESPN2 ?
> This is especially
> >blatant in a World Cup year when you should be
> trying to drum up
> >interest in your upcoming coverage of the World Cup
> not diminish it by
> >alienating your fan base.
> >
> >Sincerely,
> >
> >Carlos Eduarte
> >
4/19/2006: Arsenal/Villareal
This was perhaps one of the most disappointing semifinal champion league games I’ve seen in quite a while. A Villareal team hell-bent on minimizing the damage away from home came armed with a heavy dosage of Italian catenaccio. This strategy was justified by the fact that Villareal was missing their two central defenders through injury and were forced to start a 20 year old midfielder Cesar Arce in the back. They now go back home with a 1-0 deficit and probably pretty happy about this result.
The Yellow Submarine didn’t risk much and as such didn’t manage to do much to threaten the Arsenal goal besides a Riquelme blast in the 45th minute saved by Lehmann and a late effort by Marco Siena that went wide of the post in the 66th minute. There was the small issue of a clear penalty on a foul from behind on Villareal striker Jose Mari by Gilberto at the end of the sequence after the Riquelme shot. After not getting that call, Villareal entrenched themselves even more in the second half.
Arsenal, on the other hand, were able to pressure the Spanish team throughout the game but had to be disappointed to only come away with a 1-nil victory. There was one annulled Henri signature goal at minute 11. In the 41st, Henri set up Hleb with a beautiful pass into the box for Hleb to send through onto Toure, who put it into the net.
At the 80th minutes, Wegner put in both Bergkamp and Van Persie to try to increase the lead. Bergkamp was too slow to get to a dangerous cross towards the end that would have given the Gunners a decisive advantage.
The second leg has to look daunting for Villareal as Arsenal are now working on a 800 minute plus streak without allowing a goal. Despite a pretty even game in terms of possession, Arsenal totally controlled this game. I don’t’ see anything changing in the second leg and I think Arsenal will go on through to the final in Paris.
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