Bayern Munich (1) 3 - 1 (0) Arsenal
Olympic Stadium, Munich, Tuesday 22nd February 2005
UEFA Champs League, knockout stage first leg
Arsenal:
Lehmann
Lauren Cygan Toure Clichy (Cole 83)
Pires Vieira Edu (Flamini 36) Reyes
Henry Ljungberg (van Persie 76)
Another one of those muted Arsenal performances away from
home in Europe has left us with a mountain to climb at
home in 2 weeks, but not quite an impossible one.
After a quiet start, the home side took the lead on 3
minutes. Oliver Kahn kicked hugely, and although Toure got
his head on the ball as he was running back to deal with it,
he got it all wrong and it fell for Pizarro who slammed a
terrific volley past Lehmann.
Arsenal went into panic mode for a while but started coming
into the game more and more as the half went on. Reyes nearly
put Henry through but his first touch was miled too strong.
Then Henry chipped into the box for Freddie but from only just
inside the box he tried a looping header under the bar and
only succeeded in popping the ball into the air nicely
for Kahn to gather. A terrific ball from Reyes for Henry found
him judging marginally (harshly, perhaps) offside. And Clichy
had a good effort which was deflected for a corner.
Arsenal got off to promising start in the second half when
Reyes got into a deep position on the left. But he went for a
near post shot when Freddie was unmarked and crying out for
a pas son the far side of the goal. Then Pires got into a
similar position on the right and played a cut-back into the
box but Henry was the only man there and he'd made a run closer to
goal. Then Freddie was put through on the right but was
well
shepherded and only managed a soft shot straight at Kahn.
All this within 5 minutes of the break but Bayern soon
gathered themselves and on 6 minutes a great ball to Lehmann's
left side of his goal was played for Roy Makaay (who'd been
quiet) and he forced a terrific reaction save out of the
Arsenal keeper.
On 57 Clichy made a clumsy and not entirely necessary foul out
on the left wing. As the free kick came in Toure allowed Pizarro
to move for it unchallenged, and his glancing header gave Lehmann
no chance.
And 7 minutes later it was 3. Bayern worked the ball nicely on
their left wing, then hit a cross which Lehmann, who'd advanaced
towards the ball probably a little too much, could only get
a fingertip on. He only succeeded in diverting it straight to
Salihamidzic who'd made a move into the far side of the box
which all the Arsenal players had allowed themselves to be dragged
away from, and he buried it in the net.
Almost straight after that Frings was put clear on the left of our box,
and the Bayern fans cheered as it moved the back of the net but
it turned out to have hit it from behind after Frings had missed the
post by a gnat's whisker.
Reyes hit a free kick a foot or two over the bar. Then Lauren was
lucky not to be sent off for launching himself two-footed at the ball
as a Bayern man came in from the side. He probably got away with it
because he was in posession of the ball and had just played it a little strongly
in front of him, so was clearly aiming to make contact with the ball.
That followed some terrific but scary defensive play by Pires, bringing
the ball out past opponents, from right in front of his own goal.
Van Persie came on for Freddie who'd had an unusually quiet
game: he didn't get as involved as he normally does which was probably
to do with playing most of the game up front rather than (nominally)
on the wing. It was all a bit weird really, with Reyes on the left
wing much of the time and Pires on the right where he's clearly less
effective.
Cole came on for Clichy with 7 minutes to go, also odd given that Clichy was
one of our better players on the night and that Cole had declared himself
unready to start the game. Not that Cole played badly in the few minutes
he was on. Then with 3 minutes to go, a long Arsenal free kick came through
to Vieira who hgad to stretch to get his foot on the ball and hook it
past Kahn, only to see it come back off the post. A defender made a
pigs ear of his unpressured clearance from 6 yards out and it fell to Toure
who hit a good low drive between Kahn and the near post which he was guarding.
That goal makes all the difference. It's a tricky task but it's unlike Arsenal
not to score, especially at home, and if we can get the first one in the home
leg then the pressure will be on Bayern.
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