PARIS: AS Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen stunned more fancied opposition in Arsenal and Atletico Madrid respectively to seize control of their Champions League last 16 ties on Wednesday.

Veteran striker Dimitar Berbatov demonstrated his enduring quality by inspiring Monaco to a surprise 3-1 first leg victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London, priming the principality team for a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in 11 years.

The defeat heaped more European agony on Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, a former manager at Monaco, who is now facing elimination at this stage of the competition for the fifth straight season after the shattering home defeat.

In the night’s other match, Hakan Calhanoglu’s superb second-half strike helped Leverkusen put one foot in the quarter-finals following their shock 1-0 home win over last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid, who finished with ten men.

The Turkey international scored the 57th-minute winner to set Leverkusen on the way to their first ever win at this stage of the competition and they take a slender advantage to Atletico’s Vicente Calderon Stadium for the return leg on March 17.

Monaco — the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition — gave Arsenal a lesson in patient, counter-attacking football to leave the Premier League team needing a herculean effort in the second leg to avoid elimination.

“No one really thought this result would have been possible, but we achieved it,” Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said.

French midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia put the visitors ahead after 38 minutes, when he crashed in a long range shot that took a deflection off Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, leaving goalkeeper David Ospina helpless.

Bulgarian veteran Berbatov, continually jeered by the home fans because of his past links with their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, added the second after 53 minutes after a devastating Monaco counter-attack.

Although Alex Oxlade-Chambe­rlain’s curling strike in stoppage time briefly gave Arsenal hope, he then gave the ball away inside his own half. Monaco went on another rapid break and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco galloped clear to restore the two-goal cushion.

“The third goal makes our task extremely difficult in the second leg. It looks like we lost our nerve and our rationality on the pitch,” Wenger said. “Mentally we were not sharp enough to get into the game and we paid for it.”

In Leverkusen, Calhanoglu’s winner helped the 2002 finalists edge closer to breaking their last 16 jinx having failed to pass this stage of the competition in their last three previous attempts.

Karim Bellarabi set up Calha­noglu when the Germany midfielder rolled the ball back with the underside of his boot for the Turk to control with his first touch and fire under the crossbar with his next.

“I think we were clearly the better team and therefore we deserved the win,” said Calhanoglu. “We have to play just as well in the return leg.”

Substitute Fernando Torres thought he’d equalised with a header from a corner in the 75th, but the ball went out of play before coming back in.

Atletico were left with 10 men when Tiago was sent off following a second booking in the 77th and the Spanish champions will also be missing key defender Diego Godin for the return leg after the Uruguayan was booked and will be suspended in Madrid.

“They play as they do and they do it well,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone. “It could have been a worse result. But I am confident for the return leg.”

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2015

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