Samir Nasri has opened up on his Arsenal side panicking against Manchester United and the unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2009 Champions League semi-finals

Samir Nasri has recalled his memories Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Man Utd 

Samir Nasri admitted his Arsenal team “s*** ourselves” when coming up against Manchester United and the “great” Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League.

The Frenchman starred in Arsenal’s run to the semi-finals during his first season under Arsene Wenger following his move from Marseille.

But the Gunners met their match in a captivating last four showdown after knockout victories over Milan and Villarreal.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s United – boasting the mercurial Ronaldo – stood in Arsenal’s way of reaching a second European final in four years.

And after United edged a close first leg 1-0 at Old Trafford, the tie was finely poised for a defining evening at the Emirates

It was a colossal clash, billed as the biggest since Arsenal had moved their home to the Emirates, but one man stole the show.

And former Gunners midfielder Nasri has recalled how Arsenal panicked on the big stage against a then unstoppable Ronaldo.

“It was the first time I’d seen the Emirates with such a crazy atmosphere, you had flags everywhere and all!” Nasri told ZakNani.

“When you go into a match with shivers down your spine, you can feel you’re going to have a great game. And we s*** ourselves. We s*** ourselves, and we came up against a great Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Ronaldo stole the show with a now iconic free-kick agains the Gunners 

Ji-Sung Park had put United ahead to double the aggregate advantage for the reigning European champions in north London