Arsenal 1 (2) Bayern Munich 5 (10)
Arsenal: Walcott (20')
Bayern: Lewandowski (55' pen), Robben (68'), Costa (78'), Vidal (80', 85')
Sent off: Koscielny (54')
As the referee’s whistle sounded to bring the first half to a close, Arsenal were well on the way to achieving their objective.
Granted, the Premier League side’s target was hardly the most ambitious. Having lost the first leg of their Uefa Champions League last-16 clash with Bayern Munich 5-1 last month, Arsene Wenger said that salvaging professional pride, rather than the tie, was Arsenal’s goal in the return fixture on Tuesday night.
After a shaky first five minutes in which Bayern barely allowed their opponents a touch of the ball, the hosts set about doing exactly that. They were aggressive for most of the opening half at the Emirates Stadium, forcing Bayern into errors in possession and creating excellent scoring chances.
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The tempo was high and the passing was crisp, and there was no doubt that Arsenal were good value for the lead given to them by Theo Walcott in the 20th minute. After bustling his way past Xabi Alonso and Mats Hummels down the right, the England international crashed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle and, in the process, gave the home supporters the slightest glimmer of hope.
Walcott continued to pose a threat to Bayern, drawing a clumsy challenge from Alonso which led to appeals for a spot-kick soon after, while the impressive Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drove his team forward from the centre of midfield. Bayern, so imperious at the Allianz Arena three weeks ago, suddenly looked rattled and vulnerable.
Advancing to the quarter-finals was always going to be beyond Arsenal, but the hosts were at least showing signs of life.
Then they fell apart. The dismissal of Laurent Koscielny 10 minutes into the second period for a last-man foul on Robert Lewandowski seemed a little harsh, but the extent of Arsenal’s collapse thereafter was extremely concerning.
Laurent Koscielny, right, brings down Robert Lewandowski. Ben Stansall / AFP
The Pole duly converted from the penalty spot, before Bayern added four more in an 18-minute spell to extend their aggregate advantage to an emphatic 10-2.
Rather than simply shutting up shop and ensuring they avoided another embarrassment, Arsenal afforded Bayern swathes of space in the final third. The visitors, taking advantage of a high defensive line and lack of midfield pressure, cut through Wenger’s team at will to book their place in the last eight in style.
This was Arsenal’s heftiest home defeat since November 1998, when Chelsea ran out 5-0 winners at Highbury in the League Cup. It is now seven seasons since they progressed past the first knockout round of the Champions League and, while Wenger tried his best to blame Bayern’s blitz after the break on the referee, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a case for the Frenchman extending his stay at the Emirates beyond this summer.
Arsenal fans march in protest. Clive Mason / Getty Images
A number of supporters attended an anti-Wenger protest before kick-off, while others simply boycotted the match altogether. The vast majority of Arsenal fans would have loved nothing more than seeing their club’s most successful manager bring success to North London again, but the prospect of that has scarcely felt so distant.
There is, of course, no great shame in losing to a Bayern team packed full of world-class players and led by the competition’s joint-most successful manager of all time.
It is rather the manner of the two reverses that hurt for Arsenal, who are now facing up to the fact that they may have played their final Champions League game of the Wenger tenure.
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