How Bayern Munich defeated Arsenal to set up Real Madrid clash

Bayern Munich secured a UEFA Champions League semi-final showdown against record holders Real Madrid after defeating a young and largely inexperienced but very promising Arsenal side in the quarterfinals. Bayern Munich tickets are in very high demand ahead of the heavyweight fixture.

The Bayern vs Arsenal pairing generated a lot of interest as many expected Mikel Arteta's exciting Gunners to give the Bundesliga giants a run for their money, considering the way both teams have fared this season.

Goalfest at the Emirates in the first leg

The Emirates Stadium in North London played host to the first leg of this exciting encounter between Bayern and Arsenal. The Gunners were quicker out of the blocks at the start of the game and were rewarded with a 12th-minute opener as Bukayo Saka’s superb curling effort found the corner of the net, leaving Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal with no chance.

Despite Arsenal's continued dominance, it was the Bavarians who got the next goal just six minutes after going behind as Arsenal defender Gabriel's pass was intercepted by Leroy Sane inside the Gunners’ half. Sane found Leon Goretzka who picked out Serge Gnabry inside the box to send him one-on-one with David Raya in goal, the German made no mistake as he fired his shot into the back of the net to draw his side level.

Bayern let Arsenal control possession and looked to hurt them on the counter which soon paid some dividends as William Saliba was forced into a last-ditch tackle following a quick break by the Germans which saw the referee award a penalty to Thomas Tuchel's men. Harry Kane’s slow run-up and stutter, was enough to unnerve Raya as the Spaniard went one way before Kane rolled the ball the other way to turn the game on its head and hand Bayern the lead going into half time.

The Gunners dominated the ball for major parts of the first half but Bayern were a constant threat on the counter with their two goals coming off the back of quick breaks after winning back possession. Arsenal had 13 touches inside Bayern's box but failed to cause any real threat for the opposition while the clinical Bavarians scored twice from just two shots.

The second half progressed similarly with the Gunners dominating possession while Bayern looked to cause problems of their own on the counter. However, Arsenal struggled to break down the Germans' defense until the 75th minute when second-half substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard combined to draw the match level as the latter dribbled his way into the box before laying it off for the former who struck a first time shot into the back of the net.

Bayern came agonizingly close to snatching a win in the final moments of the game at the Emirates but Kingsley Coman’s instinctive shot from just inside the penalty area came off the post while Arsenal also had a sniff of goal when Saka burst into the Bayern penalty area and seemed to be through on goal but the winger was thwarted by a brave tackle from Neuer with the referee deemed it to be fair despite penalty cries from the Gunners and their fans. The final whistle signaled the end of the match not long after and both teams had all to play for in the second leg.

Cagey Second-leg in Munich

The second leg did not offer the level of excitement many anticipated following the first leg display. It was a slow start to the game with neither team posing a significant threat throughout the first half. Both Arsenal and Bayern were only able to carve out one decent chance each in the entirety of the first half with neither team taking full advantage.

The first decent chance of the game fell to the Bavarians in the 23rd minute as Noussair Mazraoui received the ball on the touchline before playing a square pass to Jamal Musiala who weaved his way through the challenges of multiple Arsenal defenders in a wonderful run toward the penalty area. The German aimed at range and his effort needed a firm save from Raya in the Arsenal goal.

The Gunners had a big chance of their own almost ten minutes later when Jorginho drove the ball down the right-hand side before picking out Martin Odegaard inside the Bayern box. The Arsenal skipper whipped in a nice delivery towards that penalty spot where Gabriel Martinelli arrived unmarked only to strike his effort straight into the waiting arms of Neuer.

The halftime whistle came with the scores level at 0-0. Both sides looked to be a little bit too cautious in their play and wary of giving anything away. The Gunners defense kept Harry Kane quiet for most parts of the first half with the Englishman recording the fewest touches by any outfield player.

Bayern were the brighter of both teams after the restart and they went close to opening the scoring in the 48th minute when Joshua Kimmich’s delivery into the penalty area was met by Goretzka whose header cannoned off the bar. The rebound fell straight to Guerreiro who struck a sweet volley toward goal but the Portuguese saw his effort deflected onto the post and behind for a corner.

The Bavarians however, found some joy in the 63rd after breaking quickly with Leroy Sane who burst into the box before chipping the ball towards the back post where it fell to Guerreiro. The left-back whipped a dangerous delivery into the area where Kimmich arrived late to power in a fantastic header, giving Tuchel's men the lead on the night and on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta made a double substitution, bringing in Jesus and Trossard as he looked to get his side back in the game but the Gunners continued to struggle against a resolute Bayern defense. Arsenal managed to carve out one more chance late in the game but Odegaard’s low shot towards the bottom corner was saved by Neuer as the Bavarians held on to win 1-0 and the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

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