Arsenal Draw 2-2 With Bayern Munich in Champions League First Leg
Trossard Strike Earns Crucial Away Goal for Gunners
The Gunners battled to a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Leandro Trossard's second-half strike cancelled out goals from Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman, leaving Arsenal with a slight advantage heading into the second leg in Munich.
Despite Bayern's dominance in possession, Arsenal started brightly and took the lead on the counter-attack after 5 minutes. Bukayo Saka's inch-perfect cross found Eddie Nketiah, who slotted home from close range. However, Bayern responded quickly, with Goretzka heading home from a corner just 11 minutes later.
The German giants took the lead in the second half when Coman's low drive found the bottom corner. But Trossard restored parity for Arsenal with a well-taken finish in the 63rd minute. The Belgian winger collected Ødegaard's pass and drove into the Bayern area before firing a low shot past Sven Ulreich.
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the second leg in Munich next week. Arsenal will need to avoid defeat to progress to the semi-finals, while Bayern will be confident of overturning the result at home.
Manager Mikel Arteta will be pleased with his team's resilience and belief, but knows there is still work to do in the second leg. "We showed great character and quality today," Arteta said. "We have to take confidence from this result, but we know it's not over yet."
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