It’s the same thing with love. Sometimes she stays, sometimes she goes – and sometimes she comes back again. FC Bayern added a new chapter to its very special relationship with London on Tuesday.
At first it looked as if this love had grown cold, then they found each other again at the Emirates Stadium, the British capital and the Munich football club, only to realize that things are no longer quite the way they used to be.
With the 2-2 draw against Arsenal London in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League, Thomas Tuchel’s team has at least put itself in a good starting position for the second leg in a week and can still hope for a title this season. After two defeats in a row in the Bundesliga, the evil spirits in Munich have not yet been completely driven away, but the fighting spirit and commitment were there again against the leaders of the Premier League.
Bayern don’t want to leave anything to chance
“This is a city that likes us, that likes Bayern Munich,” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge once said. That was a good four years ago, back then Rummenigge was still CEO of the German record champions, and the Munich team had clearly defeated Chelsea FC that evening at Stamford Bridge and thus sent a signal in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
And in previous years there had also been a few impressive victories against London clubs – or at Wembley Stadium against German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 premier class final. This was the first meeting between the two since February 2020 on Tuesday, the English capital and Bavaria. Love was put to a tough test.
The people of Munich have left no stone unturned to ensure that the connection to London remains close. On the pitch they fought back from an early deficit, and even before that they didn’t want to leave anything to chance. As was the case during their Champions League triumph in 2013 and most of their trips to London since then, they stayed at the posh “The Landmark” – almost always a good omen.
They reported Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sané fit in time for the Champions League trip to the island, who returned to the starting line-up. Serge Gnabry was preferred to Thomas Müller against his former club and was allowed to start for the second time in a row. And in central defense, coach Thomas Tuchel trusted Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Dier again; he had rested the duo in Heidenheim.
Yellow card with consequences
After the first few minutes, in which both teams played a wait-and-see game, Arsenal took the initiative with their first shot on goal in the seventh minute. Shortly afterwards, Alphonso Davies was shown a yellow card after a foul on Buyaka Saka – that had consequences. On the one hand, he is suspended for the second leg, and on the other hand, he acted cautiously out of fear of a second warning, and was too cautious in the twelfth minute.
At first he didn’t really bother Saka, then his colleagues couldn’t get the ball under control. Ben White kept an overview and put Saka in the spotlight again, who scored from the turn to make it 1-0 in the twelfth minute. The Arsenal fans were excited, the chants became louder and the team more powerful.
But White missed the chance to make it 2-0 when he shot the ball into the arms of the rushing Neuer. And then a little carelessness was enough to give the game its first twist. After a misunderstanding by the Arsenal defense, the Munich team quickly switched gears. Leon Goretzka passed to Gnabry, and as he fell, he pushed the ball past David Raya into the goal (18th).
Published/Updated: Marcus Erberich, Brighton Published/Updated: Christopher Meltzer, London Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Christopher Meltzer, London Published/Updated: Recommendations: 4
However, Arsenal were unimpressed by the equaliser. The Londoners remained in attack mode and repeatedly caused chaos in Munich’s defense, but they were unable to capitalize on it. Unlike FC Bayern in one of its occasional attacks. Sané only had to be stopped in the penalty area during a solo run – and that with a foul from William Saliba. Harry Kane used the penalty as confidently as anyone so far this season (32nd). After half an hour, London had taken a liking to these Bavarians again.
After the break, Arsenal pushed and dominated the game, but for a long time the team around German international Kai Havertz couldn’t think of how they could have cracked the Munich team, who were not always confident and who also remained dangerous on the counterattack. Only two substitutions by Arsenal coach Arteta brought success. Leandro Trossard initiated the attack himself in the 76th minute – and completed it after a pass from the other newcomer, Gabriel Jesus. Bayern then hit the post and Arsenal hoped in vain for a penalty seconds before the end. Both of them truly deserved the 2-2 draw.