In the end the damage in London proved irreparable. Arsenal’s calamitous first-leg defeat had asked them to become the first team in Champions League history to overturn a two-goal deficit away from home and this season’s Bayern Munich are hardly the accommodating types.
Yet how close they came on a night when the ultimate failure was coated in glory. From the moment Olivier Giroud put Arsenal in front in the third minute they refused to believe a third consecutive last-16 elimination was their destiny.
Laurent Koscielny’s late header triggered an almighty flutter for the team that are Bundesliga champions-in-waiting and decent bets for the crown that eluded them at this stadium last May against Chelsea.
Arsenal inflicted Bayern’s first defeat over 90 minutes since October and there was an array of positives that will sustain them on their quest to return to this competition next season via a top-four Premier League finish.
As much as anything, it was their sheer spirit, although their defending was encouraging and plenty of their passing was eye-catching.
It was too little, too late.
Excelled themselves
Arsenal have tended to give opposing teams a head start, yet they excelled themselves in this tie and Champions League history mocked their chances of progress, as had Bayern themselves. Captain Philipp Lahm's pre-match expression of surprise at the absence of English clubs from the quarter-finals had highlighted Bayern's presumption the job was done.
Arsenal had been stronger than expected, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture at Swansea City, with Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla selected on the flanks.
They made the start of their dreams, one to demonstrate their resolve and demand a response from Bayern.
Aaron Ramsey initiated the forward thrust, picking out Cazorla and when the ball was worked to the right, David Alaba, who found himself exposed, lost his footing. Tomas Rosicky fed Walcott and his driven, low centre picked out Giroud, who gleefully lifted the ball high into the net from close range. The 3,400 travelling supporters felt the injection of belief.
Wenger had told his players to “create the doubt in Bayern minds”. They had not been commanding against Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday and the difference between their start here and that which they had made to the first leg in London was marked.
They did no more than flicker in the final third for much of the first half, with Alaba shooting high over the crossbar following a corner and Toni Kroos striking weakly from Lahm’s cut-back. There was the sense that Bayern were caught between wanting to attack and protecting what they had.
Lukasz Fabianski, playing his first game in more than a year, was not stretched in the Arsenal goal in the first half, which owed much to the solidity of his defenders.
Crispness
There was a comfort about them in possession, a crispness in their passing and energy in their pressing.
Walcott was a threat, showing he has the capacity to worry defenders at the highest level and Giroud was close to converging decisively on another of his low crosses. Even so, Arsenal were still a long way short at half-time.
As the minutes ticked by in the second half, Bayern found their strut. Luiz Gustavo curled just wide and Arjen Robben motored clean through, from Thomas Muller’s sumptuous back-heel, to draw a smart save at point-blank range out of Fabianski. The goalkeeper would deny Muller again late on.
Chances were scarce for Arsenal but the substitute Gervinho almost wriggled through from Cazorla's pass. And then it happened. From Cazorla's corner, Laurent Koscielny rose to direct his header into the corner. Briefly, there was a melee as Arsenal tried to retrieve the ball. Arsenal hearts pounded. But there would be no miracle, no history, even their defiance was a thing of beauty.
Guardian Service