CL Trophy
CL Trophy
Bayern Munich and Arsenal shared four goals at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, October 21, producing a compelling Champions League contest that finished 2-2. Both teams showed their attacking quality but also do have defensive weaknesses which can be exploited.
Arsenal suffered an early setback when Bukayo Saka left through injury. Eberechi Eze replaced him and opened the scoring in the 25th minute, finishing Martin Ødegaard’s excellent pass. Bayern responded ten minutes later when Harry Kane released Alphonso Davies, who beat David Raya to level the score.
Kane then converted a penalty in the 61st minute after Jurriën Timber handled his shot. However, Arsenal refused to surrender, and Viktor Gyökeres helped create the opening for Declan Rice to equalise in the 82nd minute.
The statistics reflected a close contest. Arsenal registered 14 shots against Bayern’s 13, while both sides managed five efforts on target. The visitors enjoyed 54.1% possession and completed 440 accurate passes, compared with Bayern’s 372. However, Bayern produced the better expected-goals figure, recording 2.51 against Arsenal’s 1.40.
This game showed that Arsenal are a seriously strong defensive unit and they usually bend but don’t break. However on a huge night in Munich wth the home crowd roaring on their team led by the indisputably world class England striker Harry Kane, Arsenal did concede twice and faced serious adversity with the early loss of Saka but they found a way as players stepped up and it never looked like the game was beyond their reach or out of control at any point.
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal combined XI
Here is my combined XI, selected primarily on individual performances and available match ratings rather than reputation.
Goalkeeper and defenders
1. Goalkeeper: David Raya (Arsenal)
Raya edges Manuel Neuer. The Spaniard made three saves and recorded a positive 0.15 goals-prevented figure, helping Arsenal withstand Bayern’s pressure.
2. Right-back: Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich)
Stanišić earns selection, ahead of Timber’s 4.9. However, the Bayern defender played only 44 minutes, making this a narrow choice rather than a clear victory.
3. Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Upamecano receives a 6.9 rating and recorded seven clearances alongside a last-man tackle. Raya denied his second-half header, preventing the Frenchman from adding an attacking contribution.
4. Centre-back: Ezri Konsa (Arsenal)
Konsa earns his place with a 7.3 rating, ahead of Gabriel Magalhães’ 6.3. His overall performance gives him the edge in this selection over his colleague.
Konsa courted controversy with the the broadcast pundits like Sky Sports Jamie Carragher an ex-centre back not holding back with his thoughts as he felt Konsa was lucky to avoid a red card for his tackle on England captain and Bayern talisman Harry Kane yet asked where is the consistency in officiating.
🚨 Jamie Carragher reacts to Konsa escaping a red card for his tackle on Harry Kane: 🗣️ “I don’t understand how anyone can look at that challenge and say it isn’t a red card. That’s a dangerous tackle, and for me, there’s no excuse for not sending him off. What I find frustrating is the inconsistency. Every time you watch Arsenal, there seems to be another controversial refereeing decision involving them. At some point, you have to start asking questions about the standard of officiating. UEFA needs to take responsibility because decisions like this only create more doubts about fairness in football. For me, that’s a straight red card. I don’t see how you can argue otherwise.”
— Sage (@Sage_FCB)
5. Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
Davies deserves his place after scoring Bayern’s equaliser in the 35th minute. His 8.5 rating and seven recoveries prove his contribution at both ends.
Midfielders
6. Central midfield: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Rice is the highlight in the midfield with a 9.0 rating, six tackles, six recoveries and nine duels won. He completed 69 of 77 passes and scored the late equaliser.
7. Central midfield: Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich)
Pavlović earns selection with a 7.4 rating. He completed 61 accurate passes from 65 attempts, giving Bayern an impressive 94% passing accuracy.
8. Attacking midfield: Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
Ødegaard receives an 8.2 rating after assisting Eze’s opener and creating three key passes. His vision helped Arsenal exploit spaces between Bayern’s defensive lines.
Forwards
9. Left wing: Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Eze matches Rice’s 9.0 rating after scoring in the 25th minute. He registered two shots on target and won nine duels, making an immediate impact after Saka’s injury.
10. Right wing: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
Gnabry edges Noni Madueke with a 6.8 rating against 6.4. Neither player scored or assisted, but Gnabry’s assessment gives him the advantage.
11. Striker: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Kane can literally do it all as you can see below as he sets the team in motion from the VERY back…
Harry Kane taking a goal kick… 😲 #UCL https://t.co/FLR7eCAaph
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
Kane completes the XI with a 7.6 rating, one goal, one assist and 1.11 expected goals. His passing created Davies’ equaliser before he converted the penalty. Kane is so much more than goals and assists, his presence and all around ability gives his team mates more time on the ball and less attention from the opposition as they always have to be watching where Kane is giving them time.
Who deserves the strongest recognition after this draw?
Rice with his stunning equaliser and all around game gets my player-of-the-match award because he combined defensive work with the decisive late contribution.
Eze deserves similar credit for scoring after entering the match unexpectedly, while Kane influenced both of Bayern’s goals. Davies provided an important finish, and Ødegaard provided the creativity behind Arsenal’s opener.
A brilliantly worked team-goal finished off by Declan Rice, and Arsenal are level 💥
📺 Stream on TNT Sports & HBO Max: — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt)
Bayern had the stronger expected-goals figure, but Arsenal created enough chances to justify their point. My selection gives Arsenal six places and Bayern five, and that shows the visitors’ individual contributions without ignoring the hosts’ attacking threat.