Declan Rice’s 82nd-minute equaliser earned Arsenal a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night (early Thursday in Singapore), keeping the Gunners unbeaten in the Champions League league phase on seven points from three games. Arsenal’s own report put the unbeaten league-phase run at 15 matches, including the whole of last season.
It was a night that turned early. Bukayo Saka was involved in Arsenal’s first real chance, a Kai Havertz cut-back that the Bayern defence crowded out, and then went off with a non-contact injury after nine minutes. Eberechi Eze came on in his place.
Eze takes his chance
Eze needed a quarter of an hour to make the change count. Martin Odegaard lifted a pass over the top from inside his own half, Eze timed his run and finished low into the bottom corner with his left foot on 25 minutes. The assistant referee raised his flag once the ball was in the net, but VAR allowed the goal to stand.
The lead lasted ten minutes. Harry Kane dropped deep and sliced Arsenal open with a searching pass, and Alphonso Davies ran clear on the left before sliding the ball past David Raya. Before the break Riccardo Calafiori had already blazed one chance over from an unmarked position at the far post, and Serge Gnabry, who played 18 times for Arsenal more than a decade ago, tested Raya twice.
Kane’s penalty, Rice’s reply
The second half stayed open. Manuel Neuer clawed a Bruno Guimaraes header off the line from a Rice corner, and Raya answered with a point-blank save at the other end from a Dayot Upamecano header.
Bayern went ahead just after the hour. They flooded the box, the ball was cut back to Kane, and his shot struck Jurrien Timber’s hand. Kane scored the penalty himself. It was his 10th consecutive Champions League game with a goal, a run only Cristiano Ronaldo has matched before him.
Arsenal kept coming. Havertz had a shot cleared off the line after an Odegaard free kick, and with eight minutes left the equaliser arrived from a patient move: Viktor Gyokeres laid the ball off, Rice burst into the area and drove a low finish into the far corner. Timber nearly won it late on with a swerving shot that was tipped over.
Where it leaves Arsenal
The point follows wins in their first two games, the second a 3-0 home win over Lille, so Arsenal have seven points from a possible nine. Bayern had lost just one of their previous 31 home Champions League matches before kick-off, and they were without Michael Olise through suspension.
Saka’s fitness is now the question before Arsenal host Everton at Emirates Stadium on Saturday at 3pm UK time, which is 10pm in Singapore. The next Champions League fixture is away to Slavia Prague on 4 November.
