A header from Tuchel’s winger decides in the second half. Bavarians in the semifinals after four years
Calm and patience. This is how Bayern Munich reaches the Champions League semi-final. By distorting itself. After the 2-2 draw in London, the Bavarians beat Arsenal 1-0 at home and go through, but they do so by defending tooth and nail and keeping the pace low. Kimmich’s goal was decisive, arriving in the 63rd minute. The Germans thus return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2020. If Bayern were to reach the final they would face either PSG or Dortmund, who are curiously the opponents they have beaten on the last two occasions in which they won the cup (2020 and 2013). As in 2013, 2014 and 2017, Arsenal surrendered in the Champions League against the Bavarians.
the race
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Tuchel sends his team onto the field with the classic 4-2-3-1 but it is clear right from the start that the team has a different attitude than usual: the Bavarians are more cautious, more cautious, less unscrupulous. The units are short and narrow, we think more about defending than attacking. In the first minutes Arsenal kept more of the ball, but didn’t find the space to threaten. The match is tactical, and the first real opportunity only comes midway through the first half: Mazraoui steals the ball and allows his team to start on the counterattack. After an exchange with Guerreiro, it was Mazraoui who shot, narrowly missing the target. Arsenal come into their own in the 29th minute, with a shot from outside by Odegaard which, when deflected, puts Neuer in difficulty.
the recovery
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In the second half, Bayern began by pushing on the accelerator: in the 47th minute it was Goretzka, left too alone, who hit the post. For the rest, however, the Bavarians simply controlled Arsenal without conceding chances. Arsenal are unable to get into the rhythm, the hosts break up the game a lot so as not to allow the Gunners to put it on the level of athletic freshness. This is how Bayern took the lead in the 63rd minute: after a cross from Guerreiro, Kimmich proved to be very good at insertions and beat Raya with a header. Arsenal took the blow and conceded again: in the 66th minute Sané shot high from an excellent position. During the match Tuchel only made defensive changes (in Kim and Upamecano for Mazraoui and Sané) and the English continued to struggle. The Gunners’ only chance came in the 88th minute, when Neuer was forced to block Odegaard’s shot. It ends like this, with Bayern who, despite being distorted, keeps the season alive and reaches the Champions League semi-final. With the knowledge that, whatever happens, in the final he would face an opponent who he had already beaten in the last act of the Champions League.
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