Arsenal came into this match on the back of a dismal and morale destroying exit from the FA Cup following their 1-0 loss against Blackburn Rovers, which was perhaps their best chance to secure a trophy this season. There were fingers pointed at manager Arsene Wenger as he and his team were responsible for letting Arsenal’s trophy drought extend to 8 years now.
Wenger named a strong squad for tonight’s game which saw Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla recalled to the starting line up along with Laurent Koscielny.
The Gunners came into tonight’s match low on confidence, but high on motivation. However, they were put to the sword early on in the game as Bayern took an early lead through Toni Kroos. Skipper Phillip Lahm darted forward and found some room on the right flank and crossed a ball towards the box which missed its intended target, Thomas Muller. However, German international Kroos was fastest to react and has caught the ball sweetly on a half-volley striking it with some venom into the back of the net to give the visitors a 7th minute lead.
A shell-shocked and an eerily quiet Emirates Stadium just managed to get over the early setback, when another one was just round the corner. Consistent pressure from the visitors resulted in corners. Lahm stepped up to take one of them and launched the ball into the crowded penalty area. Defender Daniel Van Buyten rose highest to head the ball towards the goal, however Szczesny’s save was not effective as even though he managed to keep the ball out, he laid it out on a plate for Thomas Muller, making the Bayern man’s task all the more easier to poke the ball into the back of the net from point blank range in the 21st minute.
Ruthless Bayern oozed class in the opening 45 minutes of the game. They looked like a well-oiled machine, and their confidence was reflected on the pitch as they passed the ball around with a swagger. Each and every player was aware of his team-mate’s position, and they made neat triangles and left the Arsenal players chasing shadows in the opening exchanges. They surely taught a thing or two to a team that is known for their slick passing and movement in the first half.
Arsenal came out for the second half, looking to start the half brightly and to halve the deficit. They looked like a better coordinated team in the second half. They were successful in halving the deficit as former Bayern man, Lukas Podolski, headed home from a corner kick. Bayern failed to deal with the corner as two of their defenders collided, allowing the ball to reach Podolski, who had the simplest of tasks of nodding home in the 55th minute. This shook up the entire stadium which gave Arsenal fans renewed hope.
However, their hopes of a comeback were squashed soon as a classic Bayern Munich attack saw Arjen Robben release the charging Phillip Lahm down the right hand side, who crossed into the danger area. Striker Mario Mandzukic got the final touch as Bacary Sagna tried to clear the ball, which unfortunately ended up inside the net, putting the game to bed in the 77th minute.
With the final score at 3-1, Arsenal face a near impossible task of turning this deficit around at the Allianz Arena against a team that have just been beaten twice in all competitions this season.
Do Arsenal stand even the slightest chance?