FC Bayern Munich were unable to win the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. In the away game at Arsenal FC, the record champions have to be content with a 2-2 draw. Nevertheless, that means a reasonable starting situation for the second leg.
Arsenal put pressure on early and rewarded themselves with the lead in the 12th minute: winger Bukayo Saka beat Alphonso Davies and then finished from around fifteen meters after a pass from Ben White. The England international scored a well-placed shot into the far corner and gave Manuel Neuer no chance in the Bayern goal.
The lead didn’t last for a long time: after a bad pass in the Londoners’ build-up, Leroy Sané got the ball, who played it to Leon Goretzka. The midfielder kept his calm and passed through to Serge Gnabry, who alone scored the 1-1 equalizer in front of Kepper David Raya (18th minute).
Another individual mistake put Bayern in the lead: after a solo by Sané, the national player was hit by William Saliba in the penalty area, which is why the Swedish referee pointed to the penalty spot. Center forward Harry Kane took care of the matter and safely converted the penalty to give the team a 2-1 lead (32nd minute). With this result we went into the half-time break.
Gnabry injury and equalizer in the heart of Munich
The 70th minute was bitter for the Munich team: without any opposition, Gnabry, who had recently been in good form, injured his thigh, which is why there was a risk of a longer absence. And if that wasn’t enough, the next shock came just a few minutes later: a great individual action from Gabriel Jesus resulted in a finish from Leandro Trossard, who equalized the score at 2-2 in the 76th minute, which was celebrated in London.
In the 90th minute the aluminum wobbled! After Jamal Musiala passed to substitute Kingsley Coman, the Frenchman kept his foot in the sharp cross and hit the left post. That could have been the lucky punch!
Things got tricky for the referee team in stoppage time: Saka ran towards Neuer alone and tripped over his left leg as he ran past. There was no penalty whistle and the video referee (VAR) didn’t report either, which is why the score remained 2-2. But that wasn’t the only debatable and, above all, strange scene: When a goal kick was made (66th minute), central defender Saliba took the ball in his hand and played the goal kick himself, even though his keeper Raya had already taken it before. Here, too, there could have been a hand penalty for Bayern during the second half.
Bayern can probably live with the draw, as their place in the semi-finals can be made clear in the second leg in front of their home crowd next Wednesday (April 17th). However, Alphonso Davies will not be available for this duel due to a yellow card suspension.
In the round of the last four, the winner of the duel between Real Madrid and Manchester City would await Bayern. The two top clubs shared a 3-3 draw in the Spanish capital.
Lineup of FC Bayern Munich
2024-04-09 21:20:41
#Bayern #Munich #Draw #Arsenal
