Robert Pires has spoken of his delight at the tackle that dispossessed Patrick Vieira.
Robert Pires has spoken of his delight at the tackle that dispossessed Patrick Vieira and eventually led to Arsenal's first goal against Juventus on Tuesday.The mercurial Frenchman is not normally noted for the robustness of his challenges but his tackle on Vieira left his out-of-sorts former team-mate crestfallen on the Highbury turf.
Pires admits that he too was shocked at the occurrence, conceding that it was the first time in 13 years he had come out on top in a physical battle with Vieira.
''I am happy with the tackle on Patrick Vieira,'' said Pires.
''It is the first time I did it in the 13 years of my career, and it led to the first goal.
''I even surprised myself. When the ball is at Patrick's feet he is a specialist, it is like the pupil who has copied the master.
''I am happy with my performance and the match, I put in a lot of effort and I got the reward.
''I played in a more defensive position, which means I can also defend.''
While Arsenal have rightly stolen the plaudits for the manner of both their performance and victory, Pires has pleaded for caution - insisting there is still a tough job to be done in Turin.
''For the qualification, we will remain cautious and focused,'' he added.
''Juventus is always a team which has luck and success, they always qualify in the end, as they proved against Werder (Bremen).''
