Frustration for Arsenal as Bayern Munich steal narrow first leg victory in UWCL quarter-finals | OneFootball

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·21 March 2023

Frustration for Arsenal as Bayern Munich steal narrow first leg victory in UWCL quarter-finals

Article image:Frustration for Arsenal as Bayern Munich steal narrow first leg victory in UWCL quarter-finals

Arsenal failed to end Bayern Munich’s 12-game winning run in all competitions as the German club clinched a 1-0 victory in a UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie at the Allianz Arena this evening.

Lea Schüller’s first half goal was enough for Bayern Munich who hung on despite plenty of Arsenal pressure in the second half.

Both teams fielded impressive line-ups despite being without some big names due to injury. Arsenal were missing the likes of Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and more recently, Steph Catley, while Bayern Munich needed to fill a hole left by Giulia Gwinn’s recent ACL injury.


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The home side started well and piled the pressure onto a shaky Arsenal defence, but the visitors began to look a bit more connected as the minutes ticketed on.

The Gunners’ first chance of the game came from the head of Stina Blackstenius who sent Caitlin Foord’s delivery over the crossbar.

As Arsenal looked to break down the Bayern Munich defence, a scramble in the box presented opportunities for both Frida Maanum and Blackstenius, but home keeper Maria-Luisa Grohs managed to take claim of the ball, denying the visitors the opener.

Countering Arsenal’s efforts, Schüller was given far too much space to set up a goal to give her side the lead, but she sent the ball wide of Manuela Zinsberger’s net.

As the game edged towards half-time, Bayern Munich started to look more threatening and their press was rattling Arsenal’s back-line. It was Schüller who got the better of The Gunners defence and she headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, earning the home side a deserved lead.

Schüller was a thorn in Arsenal’s side and she went close to doubling the hosts’ lead in the second half, but her volley was blocked by Laura Wienroither.

A scramble in the box and some sloppy defending led to a questionable refereeing decision as Blackstenius’ header was  scrambled off the line. Arsenal called for a goal, believing that the ball had crossed the line, but the referee rejected the appeals.

The Gunners appeared to be the better side in the second half, with their aggression and dominance beginning to take full form as they exploited the use of the wings. As the clock ticked on, another scramble in Groh’s goal had Arsenal appealing once again but to no avail.

At the other end, Zinsberger was forced into another important save late on as Arsenal’s chances of equalising began to dwindle. Despite the North Londoners’ best efforts, they were unable to force their way back into the game.

The second leg takes place at the Emirates Stadium next Wednesday with The Gunners still being very much in the tie.

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