MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 08:37:10| >> :120:3803:3803:
[monks data]
Bayern logo
Champions League | Round of 16
Feb 15, 2017 at 7.45pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

5-1

Robben (11'), Lewandowski (53'), Alcantara (56', 63'), Muller (88')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Sanchez (30')

Ruthless Bayern Munich thrash Arsenal in first leg of Champions League tie

Ruthless Bayern thrash Arsenal in first leg
© SilverHub
Bayern Munich all but ensure their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 5-1 victory over Arsenal in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Arsenal have suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Allianz Arena.

The English side reached half time on level terms, but they were blown away during the second 45 minutes in Germany and now face the prospect of exiting the tournament at the second-round stage for the seventh successive year.

Arsenal went into the game with memories of a 5-1 thrashing in November 2015, and Arsene Wenger's side started as though they were already fearing a similar defeat on Wednesday evening.

Moments after Arturo Vidal had tested David Ospina from long range, Robben gave Bayern the lead in sensational style as he found the top corner of the net via the underside of the crossbar after being allowed to shoot with his favoured left foot from 25 yards out.

The home side did not have to get out of first gear during the opening 25 minutes but the calmness with which Bayern were playing changed after Manuel Neuer spilled a Mesut Ozil free kick and almost let Arsenal score an unlikely equaliser.

While the leveller did not come at that moment, it did three minutes later when Robert Lewandowski fouled Laurent Koscielny in the penalty area and although Sanchez saw his spot kick saved by Neuer, he kept his composure to fire a volley into the bottom corner.

The Premier League outfit rallied and five minutes before the break; Granit Xhaka volleyed straight at Neuer from 16 yards when he probably should have scored, and that led to Bayern regaining their rhythm just before half time.

Lewandowski and Mats Hummels both headed off target from no more than 10 yards out, but the visitors were lucky to escape when Mesut Ozil fired straight at Neuer from an acute angle after being played in behind the defence.

Soon after the restart, Arsenal were dealt a huge blow when Koscielny was forced off with an injury and it led to Bayern running riot in the final third.

They regained their one-goal advantage though Lewandowski, who rose above Shkodran Mustafi to head Philipp Lahm's cross into the corner, but things only got worse for the visitors.

Three minutes later, Lewandowski's clever flick released Thiago Alcantara behind the Arsenal defence and he produced what seemed a routine finish in drilling his shot into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

Lewandowski hit the crossbar, Robben saw a close-range effort cleared off the line by Kieran Gibbs's hand, and Ospina pulled off a wonder save to deny Javi Martinez as Bayern threatened to inflict a heavy defeat on their opponents.

They finally netted their third goal of a sublime 10-minute spell when Thiago's shot from the edge of the penalty area took a huge deflection to deceive Ospina and head into the opposite corner.

Bayern had further chances to extend their lead, with Vidal seeing another shot from distance saved by Ospina, before the Arsenal goalkeeper flung out a hand to stop Douglas Costa finding the far corner.

The fifth goal finally arrived with two minutes remaining as Muller found the bottom corner from 12 yards just seconds after being introduced as a late substitute.

Arsenal managed to reach full time without letting in a sixth, but they will take to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium next month effectively requiring a miracle to deny Bayern a place in the quarter-finals.

ID:291867: cacheID:291867:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6078:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mesut Ozil in action during the Premier League game between Arsenal and Burnley on January 22, 2017
Read Next:
Hummels: 'No chance of Arsenal dropping Ozil'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Buccaneers
@
Chiefs
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Aston Villa33009
2Liverpool33009
3Man City32107
4B. Leverkusen32107
5Brest32107
6Inter Milan32107
7Monaco32107
8Sporting Lisbon32107
9Arsenal32107
10Real Madrid32016
11Lille32016
12Feyenoord32016
13Barcelona32016
14Dortmund32016
15Benfica32016
16Juventus32016
17Atalanta31205
18Stuttgart31114
19Sparta Prague31114
20PSG31114
21Celtic31114
22Dinamo Zagreb31114
23AC Milan31023
24Bayern31023
25Girona31023
26Brugge31023
27Atletico31023
28PSV30212
29Bologna30121
30Shakhtar30121
31RB Leipzig30030
32Sturm Graz30030
33Salzburg30030
34Red Star30030
35Young Boys30030
36Slovan Bratislava30030


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!