SCORELINE : Bayern Munchen 5 vs Arsenal 1
Full-time at the Allianz Arena. Bayern are all-but-through to the next round in the Champions League as they record an emphatic 5-1 first-leg victory over lowly Arsenal, who completely lost the plot after half-time. A brace from Thiago and goals from Robben, Lewandowski, and Muller sealed the win in what was a hugely impressive performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit. Thanks for joining us, see you next time.
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90’+2′Bayern, professional as ever, are just running down the clock with ease here and the possession is coming without much opposition from Arsenal, who are too heartbroken to even press for tackles.
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90′Three minutes of added time have been allocated by the referee now so Arsenal don’t have too long to wait to head back to London, seemingly out of the Champions League. They really have been horrendous in this second period.
88′
Goal >>Thomas Müller
Goal Thomas Müller
GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLL FOR BAYERN! Five of the best for the Bavarians! Thomas Muller gets involved in the goalscoring act now as Oxlade-Chamberlain gives the ball away in a criminal position on the edge of the box which allows Kimmich and Thiago to pounce. The striker finishes the move with a lashed finish past Ospina. Five-one. Embarrassing for the Gunners.
Goal Thomas Müller
GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLL FOR BAYERN! Five of the best for the Bavarians! Thomas Muller gets involved in the goalscoring act now as Oxlade-Chamberlain gives the ball away in a criminal position on the edge of the box which allows Kimmich and Thiago to pounce. The striker finishes the move with a lashed finish past Ospina. Five-one. Embarrassing for the Gunners.
86′
SubstitutionRobert LewandowskiThomas Müller
Lewandowski is the man coming off for Bayern now and he will be replaced by Thomas Muller, who has not been up to his usual, swasbuckling standards this campaign, with the goals not flowing as freely as usual.
Lewandowski is the man coming off for Bayern now and he will be replaced by Thomas Muller, who has not been up to his usual, swasbuckling standards this campaign, with the goals not flowing as freely as usual.
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‘Substitution Douglas Costa de Souza >>Joshua Kimmich
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83′Yellow Card Philipp Lahm
Lahm is booked, and he will now miss the second leg at the Emirates in a couple of weeks. At the moment that doesn’t look like too big of a deal, however.
82′
OH WHAT AN OUTSTANDING SAVE FROM OSPINA! Gibbs has been massively guilty of allowing left-footed players to cut inside on their favoured foot tonight and does it AGAIN here with Costa. Luckily for the left-back, he is bailed out by his goalkeeper who somehow gets across to make the save following a curled shot from the Brazilian.
80′
Gabriel was partly at fault for the third goal but has actually defended admirably against Lewandowski at times since coming on. On this occasion, he uses his strength just to usher the former Dortmund man out of the way of a ball over the top of the backline.
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78′Alexis did his best to rally Arsenal towards the equaliser in the first half, but since the goals have started flying in for Bayern he has cut a massively frustrated figure. Ozil too, upon his return to Germany, has been decidely abject.
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76′SubstitutionFrancis CoquelinOlivier Giroud
Last throw of the dice from Wenger as the makes his third and final change. Leaving the action is Coquelin and he will be replaced by Olivier Giroud, who will finally provide the Gunners with a physical presence and focal point up top. -
74′WHAT A TACKLE FROM MUSTAFI! The Arsenal defence initially get themselves into a dodgy situation at the back which very nearly allows Lewandowski in to get the free shot on goal from close range, but the German centre-back recovers well to make the last-ditch tackle.
72′
This is just an exhibition match for Bayern at the moment and due to the scoreline being so comfortable, basically all of the players apart from Neuer are looking to get in on the goalscoring act. Even Lahm, who is usually tied to the touchline, moves into a central area to pick out passes on the edge of the box.
70′
Hummels makes his way out of defence, into midfield, and then into the final third completely unopposed before firing a pass in for Lewandowski. However, the Bayern striker is denied the shot on goal as Gabriel defends superbly on this occasion to making the interception with the slide tackle.
68′
Believe it or not we are only midway through the second half but in the period since the break Arsenal have just completely capitulated. After Bayern got the second, the hosts just grew more and more confidence and actually look the more likely team to go on and get more goals.
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66′SubstitutionAlex IwobiTheo Walcott
Substitution Alex Iwobi Theo Walcott -
64′Goal Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento
GOOOOAAAAAAALLL FOR BAYERN! This is turning into a nightmare for the Gunners! Thiago, who has been sensational all night, grabs a deserved goal as he fires a strike at goal which takes a fortunate deflection off the defender before nestling in the corner. You have to feel for Ospina, who only moments ago made a wonder save to deny Martinez. Four-one.
62′
Ospina comes out to close down Lewandowski and finds himself in no-mans-land near the byline which allows the Pole to ominously clip an attempt to the top corner. It comes off the crossbar in the end, and Gibbs is positioned well to clear off the line following Robben’s rebound.
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60′Yellow Card Granit Xhaka
Yellow card Granit Xhaka -
58′The Allianz Arena is absolutely bouncing at the moment as the Bayern fans are loving what they are seeing. Under the tutelage of Ancelotti, the Bundesliga side haven’t always lit the place up, but they are really turning on the style now.
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56′Goal Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento
Goal Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento -
56′Assist Robert Lewandowski
Assist Robert Lewandowski -
55′We have a cracking game on our hands now as Bayern have boosted their confidence right back up after taking the lead, with Arsenal looking a danger too particularly through Sanchez.
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53′Assist Philipp Lahm
A glorious assist from Lahm. Why on earth is he retiring? -
53′Goal Robert Lewandowski
GOOOOAAALLLLL FOR BAYERN! The hosts reclaim the lead! Robben and Lahm are both involved again for the Bavarian side and it is the latter who is eventually tasked with the deep cross to the back post. Lewandowski makes no mistake with this chance, and climbs above Mustafi to cushion a header into the corner! Two-one.
51′
Arsenal actually started the second period relatively well and were continuing their pressing from the latter part of the first half, but Koscielny being replaced has just thrown them out of their mindset ever-so-slightly. They may just need a couple of minutes to find their feet again.
49′
Substitution – Laurent Koscielny >> Gabriel Armando de Abreu
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Koscielny is going to have to come off and his replacement will be Gabriel. The good news is that Ospina can continue between the sticks, though.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Koscielny is going to have to come off and his replacement will be Gabriel. The good news is that Ospina can continue between the sticks, though.
48′
A small break in play at the moment as Arsenal have just turned into the walking wounded. Koscielny and Ospina BOTH have problems, with the latter looking particularly bad as he clutches his shoulder following an altercation with Costa. Terrible misfortune for the Gunners.
46′
We are back under way at the Allianz!
Half-time at the Allianz. A highly entertaining opening 45 minutes comes to an end as Bayern and Arsenal head into the break at 1-1. Robben opened the scoring with a screamer into the top corner, but the Gunners rallied and eventually scored through Alexis, who netted after missing a penalty moments previously. Cracking second period to come!
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45′Just the one minute of added time has been signalled by the referee. Meanwhile, Neuer makes a vital save at the front post to deny Ozil!
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44′Another great chance passed up by Lewandowski now. On this occasion, Costa opens up his speedy stride down the left wing and hits the byline before lifting a perfect cross into the box, but his team-mate is unable to take advantage and sends an awkward header once again over the bar. He normally converts opportunities like that.
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42′Bayern are back to seeing a lot more of the ball in the central areas, particularly through Alonso, but the possession is coming without as much penetration as usual. Lewandowski has met a few balls into the box, but has been quiet for the most part.
40′
VITAL SAVE FROM NEUER! Arsenal break forward on the counter and it is Ozil who leads the charge before Alexis and then Oxlade-Chamerlain sees the ball. The cross is reversed teasingly to the edge of the box from the Englishman and it is Xhaka who meets it with a clean half-volley, but it is straight down the throat of the grateful German stopper.
38′
That goal from Alexis really has given Arsenal a kick up the backside as they are much more intense in their pressing of Bayern in the midfield areas. However, they still need to be vigilant of the runs in behind as Xabi Alonso and Thiago can stick pick out threaded passes even with two or three players around.
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36′MISS FROM LEWANDOWSKI! Thiago picks out a beauty of a cross to the back post and Vidal recycles back into the danger area for his team-mate, but the header on goal from the big centre-forward goes north of the crossbar from six yards out! He really should be scoring with that chance.
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34′A small penalty shout for Bayern here as Alaba drives down the left wing before firing a cross into the box which appears to come off the hand of Bellerin. However, the referee correctly doesn’t point to the spot as the Spanish defender did not have his arm in an unnatural position.
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32′Yellow Card Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
Moments after equalising for Arsenal, Alexis goes into the book for a fairly late tackle on Martinez. There was definitely not a lot of contact, though, so the Chilean can count himself unfortunate at seeing yellow. -
30′Missed Penalty Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
Alexis misses the penalty, but then scores not long after! -
30′Penalty save Manuel Neuer
Save from the penalty, but Bayern concede anyway. -
30′Goal Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
GOOOOAAAALLL! GOOAAALLL FOR ARSENAL! Alexis misses the penalty, AND the follow-up! However, he manages to collects possession for the third time and takes an assured touch before firing a lovely half-volley into the bottom left corner! -
27′Ozil is the man eventually tasked with the set-piece as he steps up to curl a teasing cross-cum-shot into the box. Neuer makes a meal of it as he allows the strike to bounce off his chest back into the danger area, but Bayern survive as the rebound is sent wide of the left-hand post.
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26′Yellow Card Mats Hummels
After a cracking bit of play from Alexis in which the former Barcelona man powered into space towards the penalty area, Hummels is penalised for the foul and given a yellow card. Free-kick to the Gunners is a very useful position 20 yards out. -
25′Much better from Coquelin this time as he snatches the ball away from the foot of Vidal before taking the pressure right off the defence with a galloping run forward. He then releases Alexis down the right channel but the forward is unable to skip inside past Hummels who defends with strength to win the ball.
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23′Arsenal see a rare bit of possession down in a more advanced area and it comes after a fairly promising move. However, all the intensity is took out of the attack as Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shallow attempted cross to Alexis is easily intercepted by Hummels near the penalty spot.
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21′Lahm is causing mayhem down that right-hand side and Iwobi and Gibbs simply need to do much more to curb the runs of the Bayern captain. On this occasion the right-back hits the byline again before reversing a pass inside to Robben, but the strike on goal this time deflects behind for a corner-kick.
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19′Iwobi manages to break free down the left and attempts to play a ball in behind the Bayern backline for Alexis, but the Chilean is left frustrated as the ever-vigilant Neuer proactively runs out of his box to collect possession.
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17′Coquelin and Xhaka have not even laid a glove on the Bayern trio of Thiago, Alonso, and Vidal in the middle of the park so far. The former Barcelona man in particular is popping up everywhere in the final third and the Gunners don’t appear to have anyone allocated to tracking him.
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16′Yellow Card Shkodran Mustafi
First booking of the match is issued to Mustafi. -
15′The Arsenal backline is caught too high up the pitch and that allows Lewandowski to break in behind. However, the Poland international just can’t manage to get the ball out of his feet in order to power forward, which subsequently allows Koscielny to come in with a superb sliding tackle to win possession back for the visitors.
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13′When Wenger was doing his pre-match team talk, one of the main things he SURELY mentioned to his players was to not allow Robben to come in on that cultured left foot. On that occasion he was allowed to, and the Gunners paid the price for dropping off. Coquelin and Alexis poor.
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11′Assist Douglas Costa de Souza
Neat assist for Costa, but the goal was all-Robben! -
11′Goal Arjen Robben
GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLL FOR BAYERN! The hosts take the lead, and it is an Arjen Robben special! The Dutchman picks up the ball deep down the right wing and easily cuts inside on his left foot past Coquelin before whipping a quite stunning finish into the top left corner! One-nil! WHAT A GOAL! -
9′SAVE FROM OSPINA! The Colombian is called into action for the first time in the match as Vidal bulldozes his way to an area around 20 yards out before flashing a left-footed strike towards the corner. The Arsenal goalkeeper reads it well and gets down to make the relatively comfortable save.
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7′A good period of sustained possession from Bayern at the moment as they look to break down the Arsenal defence in the final third. Lahm, who actually announced his retirement at the end of the season this week, has been prominent in the early stages with a few overlapping runs, but the subsequent crosses just haven’t come off yet.
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5′Alexis collects the ball to feet in a great position on the edge of the box and evades a couple of challenges before playing the pass square. Iwobi sees possession and then jinks inside on his right foot to smash a strike at goal, but Martinez is there to make the important block before Neuer is forced into a save.
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3′Arsenal are, obviously, a team who pride themselves on keeping patient possession as much as possible. However, they are defnitely set-up tonight for the counter as it will be Bayern who will likely dominate the ball for the majority of play.
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1′We are under way in Germany!
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1′GOOOOAAAALLL! GOOAAALLL FOR ARSENAL! Alexis misses the penalty, AND the follow-up! However, he manages to collects possession for the third time and takes an assured touch before firing a lovely half-volley into the bottom left corner!
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The teams are making their way out to the pitch and we are almost ready for kick-off!
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Arsenal subs: Cech, Gabriel, Monreal, Elneny, Walcott, Welbeck, Giroud.
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Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospinal Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs; Xhaka, Coquelin; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Iwobi; Alexis.
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Bayern subs: Ulreich, Rafinha, Bernat, Kimmich, Sanches, Muller, Koman.
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Bayern (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Hummels, Martínez, Alaba; Xabi Alonso, Vidal; Robben, Thiago, Costa; Lewandowski.
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TEAM NEWS…
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Both teams enter the match tonight not exactly firing on all cylinders in their recent form. Bayern are, of course, still at the summit of the Bundesliga but performances rather than results have been the issue for the Bavarians, particular at the weekend when they had to wait until well after the 90th minute mark to score two goals against lowly Ingolstadt. The Gunners, meanwhile, have recently suffered damaging defeats against Watford and Chelsea in the Premier League and are now 10 points off the pace in the title race.
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Over the past few years, it has pretty much been a given that Arsenal would go on to face a European juggernaut in the first knockout round due to them regularly finishing second in he group stage. The Gunners actually did manage to top their group this campaign at the expense of PSG, but they failed once again to get a favourable draw and take on Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who finished second in their group for the first time since 2009.
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Europe’s premier club competition returned with a bang last night as Paris Saint-Germain sent shock waves through the tournament after a comprehensive 4-0 home victory against a team tipped to go all the way and be crowned champions, Barcelona. If a deviation from the norm is the running theme over the last-16 then this will certainly bode well for Arsenal, who have been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern in all of the past three knockout clashes between the two sides.
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Good evening football fans! Welcome to LIVE coverage of the UEFA Champions League last-16 encounter between Bayern Munich and Arsenal from the Allianz Arena.