10-MAN GUNNERS HITROCK BOTTOM
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Gunners left humiliated as Bayern hand out thrashing LIVE
ARSENE WENGER looks to have led Arsenal for the last time in the Champions League as his side suffered a second humiliating 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich inside three weeks.
Theo Walcott’s early opener gave the Gunners hope but that went up in smoke when Laurent Koscielny saw red for pushing Robert Lewandowski.
The Poland striker thumped home the spot kick before Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and a double from Arturo Vidal sealed a stunning 10-2 aggregate win for the Germans.
Under-fire Wenger faced calls to quit before the game and the result could force him out the door this summer.
ARSENE WENGER suffered the pain of another Champions League humiliation as his gutless Arsenal side were torn apart again by ruthless German efficiency.
A false glimmer of hope when Theo Walcott bagged an early opener was crushed defiantly by the Bundesliga superstars with Robert Lewandowski’s penalty kicking off a second-half mauling.
Laurent Koscielny walked for bringing down the Poland hitman inside the box and from there it was case of how many.
Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal’s double made a mockery of Wenger’s side but it was no more than they deserved.
Wenger, who faced fan protests to quit outside the stadium before the game, said: “Down to 10 men you have to score four goals. It becomes impossible in the head of the players.
“Lewandowski is offside, it’s not a penalty and then on top of that he gives a yellow card and on top of that he gives a red card.
“I’m absolutely revolted and sorry for the people who paid a lot of money to watch this game.
“Once we’re 2-1 down it was very difficult and you have no chance to qualify any more. The game has been spoiled by the referee.”
In Wenger’s programme notes the most rousing passage was a tribute to the late Raymond Kopa, the Real Madrid and France legend who once worked in a coal mine.
You got the sense Wenger believes it would not be a bad thing if half of his lot had done a few shifts in a pit. But at least they worked well in the first half.
Walcott must be the only 27-year-old with more than 250 Premier League appearances, over 60 Champions League games and nearly 50 caps who is yet to fulfil his potential.
After 11 years as a pro there’s still questions about what he can become rather than what he is.
Scampering on to an Alexis Sanchez long-ranger in 20 minutes the pacy Englishman embarrassed the most cocksure custodian in football, thumping high past Manuel Neuer at the front post.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain then picked out Walcott with a clever pass in Neuer territory. The assistant referee could see the whites of his eyes so was close enough to notice Xabi Alonso touched the ball before wiping out the Arsenal man but no penalty was awarded.
Bayern looked as if he thought it was already a done deal but it was official early in the second half thanks to Koscielny’s clumsy misjudgement and the officials.
He shoved Lewandowski, Tasos Sidiropoulos awarded the penalty and showed yellow. The assistant behind the goal had a word and yellow was upgraded to red.
Lewandowski netted the penalty, Robben struck in 68 minutes, Costa curled in a third, Vidal lifted a fourth past David Ospina and completed it with a tap-in.