Match report: Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal
Our chief football correspondent Daniel Taylor was at the Allianz Arena and typed his fingers to the bone to bring you this on-the-whistle match report. Enjoy ...
Arsene Wenger speaks ...
“It’s difficult to explain,” he says to BT Sport’s Des Kelly, when asked to explain where it all went wrong. “I think we were unlucky on the second goal - the referee gives a corner for us, the ball is on the pitch and we concede the second goal. I think the most important thing in the second half is we lost Koscielny very early and it looked like we collapsed. We mentally collapsed.”
Asked if the loss of Koscielny is a good enough excuse, he adds: “Bayern is a better team than us. I have to say well done to Bayern ... they were better than us tonight. I felt the third goal was a killer for our players because after that we had no response. How I feel isn’t important, but of course it is disappointing. We need to recover and focus on our next game.”
He looked seriously rattled and defeat in their next match: away at Sutton United in the FA Cup could finish him off altogether.
Meanwhile in Madrid ...
Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli: It’s far from the end of the world for Napoli, who’ll be happy enough going back to Italy with a 3-1 deficit. Perhaps not too happy, considering they took the lead through Lorenzo Insigne. Real Madrid put them back in their box with goals from Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
Same old Arsenal, always buckling ...
Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal: Arjen Robben Robben opened the scoring for Bayern Munich with an exquisite first-half strike, which was cancelled out by Alexis Sanchez in a first half that Arsenal were dominating towards the end. This dominance made their second half collapse all the more spectacular, as Bayern ran amok after the departure through injury of Laurent Koscielny. Robert Lewandowski, who bullied Mustafi all night, headed Bayern back into the lead and then the outstanding Thiago Alcantara added two more. Thomas Muller came off the bench to add a fifth for good measure and leave Gooners seething.
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Full-time: Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! Arsenal are thrashed 5-1 at the Allianz Arena for the second time in two visits and can consider themselves lucky to have conceded just five. Having had Bayern in all sorts of bother at the end of a first half, they were torn apart in the second half. It was a gutless display, but that won’t come as any great shock to seasoned Arsenal-watchers. They’ll make all the right noises about trying to put things right in the second leg (they always do), but this team has no heart or backbone. They downed tools and gave up tonight.
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90+3 min: The camera cuts to Arsene Wenger on the Arsenal bench and he doesn’t look best pleased. My tentative guess is that he’ll blame this slaughter on what he saw to be a poor decision from the referee in the build-up to Bayern’s second goal. If he does, he’ll be mistaken on a number of levels, one of them being that the decision in question was correct.
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GOAL! Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal (Muller)
88 min: Oh dear. Chamberlain gets caught in possession by Kimmich, who plays the ball across the edge of the Arsenal penalty area. It finds its way to Muller, who dummies, shuffles to his left and rifles the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. This is what Arsenal are reduced to now – a rehab facility for seriously out-of-form strikers who need to rebuild their confidence.
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86 min: Rafinha on for Arjen Robben.
84 min: Bayern Munich substitutions: Joshua Kimmich on for Douglas Costa. Thomas Muller on for Robert Lewandowski.
83 min: Finally, some good news for Arsenal: Philipp Lahm is booked for a foul on Oxlade-Chamberlain and will now miss the second leg.
82 min: Costa tries to curl one in at the back post after great work by Thiago. Ospina saves brilliantly. Arsenal players look a collective beaten docket.
80 min: Robben and Philipp Lahm wreak a little more havoc. Robben has a shot tipped behind for a corner, before the pair combine again down the right to win another one. Nothing comes of either.
76 min: Arsenal last throw of the dice: Olivier Giroud on for Francois Coquelin. His first duty is to help defend a corner., from which David Ospina ends up getting a bang on the jaw as he dives at the feet of Lewandowski.
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74 min: Bayern continue to put the hurt on Arsenal and their fans appeal for a penalty after a Mustafi challenge on Lewandowski in the penalty area. They don’t get one.
72 min: Olivier Giroud is readying himself to come on for Arsenal.
68 min: Ospina saves well again, throwing himself to his left to put a bouncing Vidal shot from distance around the upright. Arsenal substitute I haven’t had a chance to mention before this: Theo Walcott on for Alex Iwobi.
We are a ******g shambles 😫
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) February 15, 2017
65 min: Prior to that goal, Bayern missed another couple of decent chances and had a penalty appeal turned down. Ospina got caught in no-man’s land and was lucky not to get caught out when Lewandowski lofted a chip on to the crossbar. Arjen Robben subsequently fired wide from a tight angle and screamed for a penalty as the ball went out for a corner off the hand of Gibbs. Ospina also had to make a brilliant save from point-blank range when Thiago sent a header his way from about five yards. What a difference the absence of Koscielny has made.
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GOAL! Bayern Munich 4-1 Arsenal (Thiago)
63 min: Arsenal are in all sorts of disarray here and Thiago takes advantage. A corner drops to him on the edge of the penalty area and he drives the ball goalwards. His low effort takes a deflection and fizzes past the wrong-footed Ospina.
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61 min: Granit Xhaka gets booked for a crude challenge on Xabi Alonso.
60 min: It’s worth noting that in the immediate aftermath of Bayern’s second goal, Arsen Wenger gave the fourth official a load of abuse. Before the move that led to the goal, the referee had awarded Arsenal a corner before (correctly) changing his mind on the advice of a goal-line official. Wenger wasn’t happy.
58 min: Thiago Alcantara has been outstanding tonight and deserves that goal. It was a wonderful team effort: from deep in midfield, Alonso played a low pass towards Lewandowski on the edge of the penalty area with his back to goal. He touched the ball around the corner with his heel, picking out a little run into space in the penalty area by Thiago. He finished with ease into the corner, giving Ospina little or no chance.
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GOAL! Bayern Munich 3-1 Arsenal
THIAGO! A brilliant goal from Bayern Munich, who lead by two goals. Thiago finishes just inside the left upright after getting on the end of a deft touch from Lewandowski.
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54 min: A goal from a wonderful counter-attack, where Lahm and Robben ripped Arsenal apart down the right flank once again. Lahm it was who lofted in the cross and drifting away from the penalty spot, Lewandowski rose higher than Mustafi and headed across the face of goal and inside the right post.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 2-1 Arsenal
LEWANDOWSKI! The big man heads Bayern into the lead after getting on the end of a Philipp Lahm cross from the right.
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51 min: Bayern advance with Philipp Lahm on the ball and heading towards the penalty area. He’s surrounded by a swarm of uncharacteristically industrious Arsenal players, who block his effort to play the ball through to Robert Lewandowski.
49 min: Arsenal substitution: Laurent Koscielny off with a hamstring injury. He’s replaced by Gabriel Paulista. Kieran Gibbs takes the armband. In better news for Arsenal, David Ospina is fit to carry on.
48 min: Laurent Kocielny also looks to be in trouble and is holding his hamstring. He twanged that while chasing a through ball.
48 min: David Ospina goes down near the touchline after haring out of his box to deal with a ball. He’s holding his shoulder and looks in considerable distress.
46 min: Arsenal begin the second half as they ended the first: on the front foot. They huff and puff, but Alexis Sanchez runs the ball out of play under pressure when Hector Bellerin was in a good position to receive a cross if the Chilean had seen him.
Second half: Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal
46 min: Both sets of players come out and take up position and eventually the match officials deign to join them. Bayern Munich kick off and there are no changes of personnel on either team.
Some analysis: After a poor start, when it looked like they might be over-run, Arsenal have grown into this game. They’ve had five shots on target compared to Bayern’s three and they’re looking reasonably confident.
Half-time: Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal
It’s all square at the Allianz Arena: Arjen Robben fired Bayern ahead with a fine curled effort after being given the freedom of Munich to set himself up for a shot, but it’s advantage Arsenal after Alexi Sanchez who missed from the spot but eventually scored with his second follow-up effort.
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45 min: Mesut Ozil shoots straight at Manuel Neuer from close range after being presented with a glorious scoring opportunity. He should have scored.
44 min: Mats Hummels skims a header wide after a free-kick from deep is lofted towards the far post. Arturo Vidal, who had made a run from deep and was looking good to blast a header goalwards from three or four yards, almost certainly would have scored if Hummels hadn’t got in his way.
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43 min: Lewandowski gets between Mustafi and Koscielney to meet a lovely cross from the left. Over the bar and a real let-off for Arsenal.
41 min: Alexis Sanchez is looking very dangerous against Bayern’s ponderous and slow central defenders whenever his team are in possession. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is left puffing his cheeks out in frustration after spotting another dangerous run, but failing to play his team-mate in.
39 min: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain picks out a run from Granit Xhaka towards the edge of the penalty area with a cross from the right and tees up the Swiss international. His volley is sweet, but straight at Neuer, who finally manages to hold on to the ball.
38 min: It may have taken him three bites of the kartoffelkloesse but Alexis Sanchez’s finish for that equaliser was outstanding. He had five defenders around him when he hooked his side into the most slender of leads in this tie. That away goal could be priceless.
36 min: Chance! The ball’s half cleared and subsequently curled towards the byline, where Arturo Vidal has got in behind the Arsenal defence. He does splendidly to hook the ball back into the mixer, where Robert Lewandowski misses a fairly straightforward chance with his head.
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35 min: Arjen Robben leads the protests as Bayern appeal for a penalty for handball as the ball hits Hector Bellerin’s hand. No penalty is forthcoming and Bayern have to settle for a corner.
33 min: Alexis Sanchez gets booked for a foul on Javi Martinez after catching him late as the Bayern defender hacked a ball clear. Or at least appears to catch him late - replays suggest Martinez defender made a meal of the challenge.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal
30 min: Alexis Sanchez scores ... eventually. He takes the penalty and Neuer saves. The ball breaks to Sanchez, who takes an almighty swipe at it and misses it completely. At the third time of asking, under pressure from a defender with the ball bouncing away from the goal, he swivels on one foot and smashes diagonal volley into the bottom left-hand corner.
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PENALTY FOR ARSENAL!
29 min: A Robert Lewandowski shove on Laurent Koscielny in the Bayern penalty area results in a spot-kick for Arsenal.
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28 min: Ozil takes the free-kick, curls it around the wall and into the arms of Neuer, who spills the ball. The ball doesn’t break kindly for an Arsenal forward and Bayern get away with what could have been a costly error.
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26 min: Mats Hummels is penalised and booked for fouling Alexis Sanchez on the edge of the Bayern penalty area. Free-kick for Arsenal, inches outside the area, almost in line with the right side of the box.
25 min: In tonight’s other match, it’s currently Real Madrid 1-1 Napoli. The Italians opened the scoring, but their hosts have equalised. You can follow that one by clicking on this link.
24 min: The ball comes to Vidal on the edge of the area and he tries a shot. It’s blocked by Francois Coquelin. He plays the ball forward to Xlexis Sanchez who is totally isolated and runs straight into Javi Martinez.
23 min: Now Bayern advance down the left, with Vidal and Costa teaming up to make Arsenal’s life difficult. Arsenal’s players are chasing shadows here, a state of affairs that is going to make them very, very tired as the game goes on.
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22 min: Nothing comes of the corner.
20 min: Arsenal are being bossed around midfield, harried off the ball before their players can settle. Bayern open Arsenal up down the right once again with Robben and Lahm combining. The Dutchman unleashes another shot which takes a deflection and goes out for a corner.
18 min: Arsenal finally get on the bal;l and mount an attack of sorts. It’s curtailed by a combination of linesman’s flag and referee’s whistle as Alexis Sanchez is caught offside trying to chase an Alex Iwobi through-ball.
15 min: At the very least, you can say that Arsenal were quick to learn their lesson. Within two minutes of giving Arjen Robben the freedom of the pitch to score an opener, they promptly did exactly the same thing again to allow him to cut in from the right and try another shot on goal. This time, Ospina saves.
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14 min: Shkodran Mustafi is booked for a poorly timed lunge.
12 min: Oh Arsenal. You probably don’t need me to tell you what happened there: it was a textbook Arjen Robben move with a sublime finish. He picked up the ball on the right flank, cut inside unopposed ... cut further inside unoppposed ... found himself in acres of space and curled a beauty into the top left-hand corner. He’s done that kind of thing before, Arsenal. One can only assume considering how much room they gave him that they didn’t think he’d be so crass to try it again.
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GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal
11 min: I may have spoken too soon. Arjen Robben opens the scoring with a wonderful strike.
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10 min: After 10 minutes, Bayern are completely dominating possession, but not doing a great deal with it so far.
10 min: Vidal plays a ball out wide to Robben on the right touchline, but overhits his effort and the ball bounces out of play for an Arsenal throw-in deep inside their own half.
8 min: Arturo Vidal shoots low and hard from just outside the Arsenal penalty area. Ospina gets down to his left to save comfortably.
7 min: Robben and Thiago Alcantara combine down the right flank, before Lahm sends in a cross. Francois Coquelin clears. Bayern are making the pitch very, very wide. Robben and Costa are hugging the lines.
6 min: David Alaba and Douglas Costa combine down the left flank, but Hector Bellerin is on hand to put a stop to their gallop.
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4 min: Arjen Robben gets on the ball on the right flank, cuts inside and is forced back out again. He picks out Philipp Lahm on the overlap and the full-backs attempted cross from down by the corner flag is wayward.
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3 min: Arsenal are getting their press on early doors, trying not to let Bayern settle in a game in which they’re likely to have long spells of possession. Robert Lewandowski gets on the ball for the first time, but is immediately dispossessed by Shkodran Mustafi.
2 min: David Ospina gets an early touch and launches the ball upfield. Bayern go on the attack and the ball’s played to Douglas Costa on the left flank. He crosses the ball and Arsenal clear.
Bayern Munich v Arsenal is under way ...
1 min: Arsenal get the ball rolling, with their players in yellow shirts, grey shorts and yellow socks. The players of Bayern, the hosts, wear red shirts, white shorts and red socks. We get two early interruptions from the referee’s whistle as the players settle into the very early stages.
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Not long now ...
The teams descend one set of stairs and go up another as they walk from the Allianz Arena dressing rooms to the pitch in a scene that always reminds me of Spinal Tap getting lost backstage at the Xanadu Star Theatre in Cleveland. Kick-off is just moments away.
For those wondering ...
Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery and central defender Jerome Boateng have been forced to sit this one out with injuries. Carlo Ancelotti was hoping they’d be fit, but neither player has recovered in time.
Arsene Wenger speaks ...
On tonight’s game and how he’ll approach it: “Well usually we play the second leg here, so tonight is a different psychological problem” he says. “We need to find the right balance of attack and defence. Bayern is the team with the biggest possession in Europe so we will need to defend together.”
On the inclusion of David Ospina in goal: “Ospina has been absolutely fantastic since the start of the season in the Champions League and he is part of the reason we are here.”
And on the omission of Theo Walcott: “Theo Walcott has been left out of the starting line-up and Ozil will start as a second striker,” he says. He goes on to add that this is a group effort and everybody has a part to play on nights like this one.
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Davie Ospina starts for Arsenal
He’s played every one of Arsenal’s Champions League matches so far this season after Arsene Wenger stated he would be his Champions League goalkeeper this season. And yet, the news that he starts again tonight instead of Petr Cech has been greeted by surprise in many media circles. Man does exactly what he said he would do - big news! On BT Sport, pundits Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand are genuinely appalled by the notion. To hear them go on about it, you could be forgiven for thinking Wenger had handed the goalkeeper’s jersey to club mascot Gunnersaurus.
Bayern Munich v Arsenal line-ups
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer, Lahm, Javi Martinez, Hummels, Alaba, Alonso, Thiago, Vidal, Robben, Douglas Costa, Lewandowski.
Subs: Ulreich, Rafinha, Bernat, Muller, Coman, Kimmich, Renato Sanches.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Xhaka, Iwobi, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez.
Subs: Cech, Gabriel, Giroud, Walcott, Monreal, Welbeck, Elneny.
Referee: Milorad Mazic (Serbia)
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And here's Arsenal's line-up
Arsenal starting XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs; Xhaka, Coquelin; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Özil, Iwobi; Alexis
Arsene Wenger makes a mockery of nonsensical speculation that Mesut Ozil might be dropped, while Granit Xhaka returns to midfield as he’s not suspended in Europe. Alex Iwobi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez comprise the front three, where it looks like the Ox will line up to the right of Sanchez.
Some early team news
Bayern Munich starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Hummels, Martínez, Alaba; Xabi Alonso, Vidal; Robben, Thiago, Costa; Lewandowski
Arsenal go again ...
After last night’s excitement in Paris, focus turns to Munich’s Allianz Arena, where Arsenal are ready to embark on the first leg of what has in recent years become a traditional exit from the Champions League in the first knockout stages. We have been here before, many times: these two teams have met 10 times in Champions League history and Bayern Munich have knocked Arsene Wenger’s team out at this stage in 2005, and more recently in 2013 and 2014.
Only time will tell if the London side can buck the trend this time around, but this year’s Arsenal have shown few signs of being any different to Arsenal’s passim. As capable of occasional brilliance as they are of inexplicable awfulness, the suspicion they lack the steely backbone required to avoid wilting under extreme pressure remains. Wenger will be desperate to prove doubters wrong, even if his players seem impervious or indifferent to criticism.
And what of Bayern? Under Carlo Ancelotti, the German champions have been far from the lick and mesmeric side to which we have been accustomed in recent years, but still lead the Bundesliga by seven points from RB Leipzig. While their squad remains stuffed to the gunnels with superstars, the feeling remains that this is the most inefficient version of Bayern to have contested the Champions League in several years. Kick-off is at 7.45pm (GMT), but stay with us for team news and build-up.
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