Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal: Demolition in Germany leaves Gunners on the brink

Posted Thursday, November 05, 2015 by Goal.com

Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, David Alaba and Arjen Robben were all on the score sheet for Pep Guardiola's side, with only Olivier Giroud lifting Arsene Wenger's gloom

Bayern Munich cruised to a 5-1 victory over Arsenal at the Allianz Arena to leave the Gunners on the brink of elimination from the Champions League.

Arsenal ended Bayern's 12-match winning run with a 2-0 triumph at Emirates Stadium two weeks ago, but there was little prospect of a repeat from the moment Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring after 10 minutes.

Mesut Ozil had a close-range effort ruled out for handball before Pep Guardiola's team established total dominance of the match.

Thomas Muller doubled the lead with a deflected shot and David Alaba scored a stunning long-range third to round off a first-half masterclass.

Full-back Alaba turned provider for Arjen Robben in the 54th minute, with the winger netting 37 seconds after coming on as a substitute to put the result beyond doubt.

Olivier Giroud hit a fine 69th-minute consolation before Muller restored Bayern's four-goal cushion with his second of the game in the last minute.

Bayern are on the verge of progressing to the knockout phase but anything less than victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos - coupled with a Bayern victory over the Greek side - will see Arsenal eliminated.

Arsene Wenger was without defenders Hector Bellerin and Laurent Koscielny, with the latter restricted to a place on the bench after picking up a hip injury.

The Frenchman's absent was felt when his replacement, Gabriel, dropped too deep to deal with Thiago's cross and allowed Lewandowski to direct a header past Petr Cech.

Arsenal initially responded well and thought they had equalised through Ozil, but the midfielder was adjudged to have bundled home Nacho Monreal's cross with his arm.

From that point Bayern took total control and Cech was called upon twice in quick succession to deny Kingsley Coman and Lewandowski.

The inevitable second goal arrived after 29 minutes. Coman's mishit effort from a Philipp Lahm cross was controlled by Muller, who scuffed a left-footed shot that deflected off Mertesacker into the bottom corner.

Cech then rushed out to thwart Lewandowski and Douglas Costa flashed a ball across goal that only required a touch.

A reflex stop by the former Chelsea goalkeeper denied Muller a second before half-time but he was rooted to the spot when Alaba bullied Santi Cazorla off the ball and curled a sumptuous strike into the top corner.

The sight of Coman making way for Robben early in the second half suggested there would be no let-up for Arsenal and sure enough, the Netherlands star peeled away from Gabriel to slam Alaba's cutback into the roof of the net with his first touch.

On a rare Arsenal attack Cazorla burst clear of the Bayern defence but shot wastefully at Manuel Neuer.

Wenger's men did get a goal back when Giroud brilliantly chested down and converted Alexis Sanchez's cross on the turn – his seventh goal in as many matches for club and country.

Cazorla then missed again from close range before Bayern scored the fifth their performance deserved, with Costa surging forward on the break to tee up Muller for his second in the final minute.