Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League Match
Arsenal claimed a shock 2-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.
It was a tale of two goalkeepers, as Petr Cech and Manuel Neuer in particular showed their impeccable credentials with some truly marvellous saves. But ironically, a rare gaffe by the German allowed substitute Olivier Giroud to bundle home the winner deep into the second half before Mesut Ozil made sure of the result in injury time.
For the majority of the match, Bayern resembled the home side and Arsenal the away, as the visitors controlled possession and the hosts hit back on the break.
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Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny started at centre-back with Gabriel absent due to illness, while Cech made his first Champions League appearance for the Gunners in place of the injured David Ospina, who started their two previous games in Europe.
Bayern dominated the first half, though Arsenal actually enjoyed the best chance to score after 32 minutes.
Nacho Monreal delivered an exquisite cross to Theo Walcott from the left that escaped two defenders, but Neuer showed his incredible cat-like reflexes to keep out the England man's powerful header, as noted by Squawka:
The German's fellow pros and pundits—former footballer-turned-pundit Didi Hamann and goalkeepers Pepe Reina and Ben Foster among them—led the charge, as social media was set ablaze by his stunning effort:
Earlier, Arsenal forced a save from Neuer after just six minutes through Ozil. Otherwise, the half played out as expected, with Munich enjoying the lion's share of possession and chances.
Bayern pushed forward from the outset, and Cech was called into action after 10 minutes and made a brilliant stop of his own to keep out Thiago Alcantara.
The Gunners struggled to put any pressure on Thiago or Xabi Alonso in the middle of the park, and the Spaniard controlled the game with his outstanding distribution.
The effervescent Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal also tested Cech as Bayern repeatedly threatened, with Walcott largely reduced to limited opportunities on the break and some fairly tame efforts at Neuer. The Telegraph's Paul Hayward said Cech's performance spoke for itself:
Squawka shared stats at half-time:
Bayern began the second half in much the same vein as the first, as Hector Bellerin continued to struggle in the face of Costa's incredible skill.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on as Aaron Ramsey was substituted 12 minutes into the half, seemingly due to a hamstring injury, according to BBC Sport.
The England international was unable to help ease the pressure on his side, though, as Alonso and Costa had several more efforts on goal.
Giroud made an impact, though. Brought on for Walcott after 73 minutes, just three minutes later the Frenchman found the net. Neuer rushed out to punch a hopeful delivery from Santi Cazorla, only for the ball to glance off the striker's face and trickle over the line.
The Frenchman maintained an exceptional performance for the remainder of the game as he tested Neuer again and showed some outstanding hold-up play, even making a vital clearance when Bayern renewed their continuous pressure.
Bayern left themselves open to the counter, though, and Bellerin, set free down the right, side-footed to Ozil, who tapped home from close range to send the Emirates into raptures. Ozil took to Twitter to celebrate after the game:
The win is a phenomenal result for the Gunners, who rode their luck at times but equally tested Bayern's defence as well.
They'll undoubtedly have renewed confidence heading to the Allianz Arena in their next European outing, and if they can beat both Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos in their remaining games, they could complete a great escape and reach the knockout stages.
Post-Match Reaction
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was understandably delighted following the result and believes it bodes well going forward, via Arsenal's official Twitter feed:
Bayern manager Pep Guardiola was upbeat despite the loss, according to football writer Miguel Delaney:
The pair will match wits again in the Champions League's next round of fixtures, and with the Gunners grabbing their surprise win, the second contest will be even more intriguing.
