Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue overjoyed by Champions League goal

Ivorian insists Gunners are a different proposition from last season

10 Mar 2010 05:39:00

By Anthony Sciarrino and Matthew Wiener

More On :  Arsenal FC, Emmanuel Eboue
Emmanuel Eboue, Arsenal (PA)

Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue is thrilled with his side’s 5-0 thrashing of Porto at the Emirates on Tuesday night, a result which saw them turn a 2-1 deficit into a 6-2 aggregate victory and secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

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Eboue came on for Tomas Rosicky, who appeared to be hobbled by a knee problem, shortly before the hour mark, and scored his team’s fourth goal of the night on 66 minutes.

The Ivorian international knows just how crucial this game was for his team, and with so many crocked players in the Emirates treatment room, Eboue was thinking of an injured team-mate.

“For Arsenal, it was important to win this game because we lost there [in Porto]. We are so happy to win this game for Aaron Ramsey.”

Normally a right-back for the Gunners, Eboue has been used in midfield, but it does not make any difference to him where he plays as long as he is on the field.

“For me it does not matter where I play, if the boss puts me at right-back I’ll play and if he puts me at midfield I’ll play.

“I just want to play, and if I play I’m happy.”

Eboue was ecstatic about his goal on Tuesday, when he took a ball from Andrey Arshavin, rounded the Porto keeper Helton and slotted it home.  Eboue admits the goal might get his team-mates off his back for a little while.

“Every day the players are laughing at me saying ‘Emmanuel you do everything but when you come to the goalkeeper you are scared to score,’ so today, I tried to show them I can score and I’m very, very happy,” he said.

The 26-year-old Eboue has acknowledged that the current Arsenal team are different from the one that lost out to Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

 “This year we are more compatible, we have got some more maturity and more solidarity in our team. If we continue to play like this, together, we can do something this season.”

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