Ox not shocked by admission

03 June 2013 06:47

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was not surprised to hear that his father missed the highlight of his son's career because he fell asleep in front of the TV.

Arsenal midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain mirrored his father by playing for his country in Brazil's Maracana Stadium on Sunday night, but went one step better by scoring in the iconic venue.

He climbed off the bench to draw Roy Hodgson's men level at 1-1 with a fine half volley, but his dad missed the magic moment. Mark Chamberlain told BBC Radio 5 Live: ''I was a bit gutted. I actually didn't see it. I had loads of texts saying it was a fantastic goal. I was dropping his mother off at the airport at 6am this morning and I fell asleep. I have it on tape and will watch it back.''

Upon hearing that his dad had drifted off at the worst possible time, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said: "Did he fall asleep?! That sounds like him!"

The Arsenal winger revealed on his way out of the stadium that his dad is so laid back that he has yet to get in touch to congratulate him. The 19-year-old said with a smile: "He will be the last one to contact me!"

Oxlade-Chamberlain and his team-mates had looked to be emulating his father's team of 1984 at one point, with Wayne Rooney's goal putting them 2-1 up. They had to settle for a draw, though, after Paulinho's late equaliser ensured that Brazil escaped defeat on their first appearance at the newly-revamped Maracana.

Sunday night will still go down as a career highlight for Oxlade-Chamberlain though because of his goal - a fine low strike from 20 yards after a build-up involving Rooney and Frank Lampard.

The Arsenal man said: ''I can't really remember it to be honest! I think I played it to Lamps, he played it round the corner to Wazza, he set it and I just hit it.''

While admitting his frustration at Brazil's equaliser, the teenager was pleased with the result on a prestigious occasion.

''The fact we did go 2-1 up, you always want to close out the game so in that sense we're disappointed,'' he said. ''Brazil are a top quality side and they tried to break us down but we kept our shape well. 'It's tough coming away in this heat, in a stadium like this and with their quality, it's a good result.''

Source: PA