Both Robert Pires and Thierry Henry unearthed some moments to put among their best, but increasingly the eye was drawn to the precocious teenager Fabregas.The huge question at the start of the season was whether Fabregas would meet or be consumed by the challenge of replacing the great Vieira. When he took his goal in the 41st minute, seizing clinically on the confusion created by a touch of silky devastation by Pires, such a debate seemed like the relic of an old fear.Fabregas was for so much of the action exactly as he has been described by his mentor Liam Brady, the head of Arsenal’s youth development, who in his own youth so often left this old and nobly dying stadium spellbound. Arsenal took the game to Juventus as they had Real Madrid in the previous round – Real and Madrid, not bad names to chase down as notches on your gunbelt while attempting to retrieve your reputation.There were moments of wonderful assurance in the process last night – and some poignancy too as Vieira, the old field general and driving force, found himself caught in bursts of staccato Arsenal brilliance.Most satisfying, surely, for Ars? Wenger was the sense of new heroes emerging in the company of men who did so much to set the standard of artistry. His later red card came as another sword-stroke as Juve were almost morally dismantled as his team-mate Jonathan Zebina followed him off the field. It was the most arresting early evidence that indeed there is a new tide flowing through resurrected Arsenal.

It is one of old belief in pure football values, and if Reyes was providing the most exciting early evidence, he did not want for passionate assistance. The answer was provided soon enough, however, by Mauro Camoranesi when he mowed down Jose Antonio Reyes. Such force isn’t applied at such risk – the Juve player was ruling himself out of the second leg in earning his yellow card – if worry hasn’t entered deeply into your bones.Camoranesi was just reflecting the extent of the Spaniard’s impact with a series of mesmerising runs down the left flank, and soon enough Camoranesi knew – as did his team-mates – that they were caught in the middle of a nightmare. It became a matter of potential enrichment for an entire English national game locked in doubts about its health, and even its decency.Arsenal had many reasons for celebration last night and for Vieira, banned for the next game after his booking, there must have been another flash of pain when he considered what might have been the greatest one of all.It was surely Cesc Fabregas, a player of tender years but the scale of the ages.If Arsenal are indeed rising again to some of their new heights, there is no doubt that the Spaniard has to be at the heart of their best hopes.Arsenal opened with an avalanche of creativity, or was it mere eye-catching frippery? That is the question you always have to ask when a team like Juventus are providing the deeply entrenched defence. pace, beauty and, above all, an easy and often sublime vision.Can they win the great prize of European football after all those years of miserable, even betraying under-achievement? Last night it became more than a reasonable proposition.

It would have been more understandable if there was any cause to ruminate on the past. But for at least a season of doubt there had never been less reason. This was a statement about the future that was entitled to thrill not just a partisan section of north London but every corner of English football.
Arsenal not only beat the reigning champions of Italy, they administered a lesson in some of the game’s most enduring virtues … There was some cheap acrimony on the terraces of glorious old Highbury but it had no place: sneering at the plight of former hero Patrick Vieira and his tortured Juventus was to miss the point of an unforgettable night. If we don’t have injury problems, we’ll reach the top spots.”. “But we don’t have to be dramatic, because our rivals should be even more worried. I’ll be one more fan giving Argentina my backing.”Veron also agreed with those who believe his country have been drawn in the hardest qualifying group, with the Netherlands, Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro, in the opening stage.”It’s true It’s the group of death,” he said.

“I like England very much because they have Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Steven Gerrard. And if David Beckham is charged up, they are candidates.”Veron, who is unlikely to feature in Germany for Argentina after being overlooked by the national coach Jose Pekerman ahead of the competition, continued: “For me, the stage of being one of the supporters has started.”Perhaps I’m a bit nostalgic because I’ve been representing the national team for several years, two World Cups, and I had thousands of positive experiences. The Internazionale playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron has backed England to make a big impression at this summer’s World Cup by naming them among his pre-tournament favourites. The Argentinian played in England for several seasons and knows many of the squad well from his time with Manchester United and Chelsea.
“Even though Brazil are the best team, England have players at the top of their level,” Veron said. 150 in 150 min, 194 balls.India win by 39 runsMan of the match: Harbhajan Singh.Umpires: Asad Rauf and A V Jayaprakash.TV replay umpire: K Hariharan.Match referee: R S Mahanama.. 200 in 203 min, 277 balls.EnglandA J Strauss c Dhoni b Pathan 02 min, 3 ballsM J Prior c Gambhir b Harbhajan Singh 2258 min, 31 balls, 4 foursO A Shah lbw b Pathan 43 min, 3 balls, 1 fourK P Pietersen c Gambhir b Yuvraj Singh 4688 min, 49 balls, 9 fours*A Flintoff lbw b Harbhajan Singh 4138 min, 37 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixesP D Collingwood c Kaif b Harbhajan Singh 843 min, 24 balls, 1 four? O Jones b Harbhajan Singh 08 min, 10 ballsI D Blackwell c Gambhir b Harbhajan Singh (TV replay) 1024 min, 20 balls, 2 foursL E Plunkett c Dhoni b Pathan 1437 min, 31 balls, 2 foursKabir Ali lbw b Yuvraj Singh 06 min, 6 ballsJ M Anderson not out 1224 min, 17 balls, 2 foursExtras (lb4 w1 nb2) 7Total (171 min, 38.1 overs) 164Fall: 1-0 (Strauss) 2-4 (Shah) 3-57 (Prior) 4-117 (Pietersen) 5-117 (Flintoff) 6-120 (Jones) 7-137 (Blackwell) 8-141 (Collingwood) 9-142 (Kabir Ali) 10-164 (Plunkett).Bowling: Pathan 7.1-1-21-3 (6-1-19-2, 1.1-0-2-1); Sreesanth 5-0-39-0 (4-0-23-0, 1-0-16-0); R P Singh 4-0-32-0 (1-0-8-0, 3-0-24-0); Harbhajan Singh 10-2-31-5 (4-0-22-1, 6-2-9-4); Yuvraj Singh 10-2-32-2 (nb2); Sehwag 2-0-5-0 (one spell each).Progress: Power Play 1: overs 1-10, 50-2; PP2 overs 25-30, 124-6 to 141-7 50: 48 min, 58 balls 100 in 87 min, 110 balls. But once the breakthrough had been made he attacked, placing fielders around the bat.