Joshua Kimmich's header in the 63rd minute gave Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday and a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The 3-2 aggregate victory in the quarter-final means Bayern returns to the last four for the first time since winning the title in 2020. Bayern will face Real Madrid for a place in the final after the 14-time champions defeated holders Manchester City on penalties. The result continues a poor week for Arsenal, who lost top spot in the Premier League on Sunday after their first league defeat of 2024.
“We can enjoy this. The first half was reserved and then we increased the pace,” Bayern striker Harry Kane told TNT.
“These games are tough and we had to find our way through them.
“It will be a tough semi-final, no matter who we play.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said his side “wanted it so badly”.
“However, you see at many other clubs that it sometimes takes six to seven years to reach that stage. We were very close, that is the reality.”
In contrast to last week's four-goal spectacle in London, Wednesday's match was a cagey affair, with few clear-cut chances for either side in a tricky opening half.
Midway through the second half and with extra time looming, Kimmich burst through the Arsenal box to head in a perfect Raphael Guerreiro chip.
Guerreiro, who was pushed from wing-back to forwards due to Bayern's injury problems, impressed as a creative presence when freed from his usual defensive duties.
Six-time Champions League winner Bayern will join fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, who face Paris Saint-Germain, in the semi-finals.
Hit by injuries to several first-team attackers, including former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry – who scored alongside Kane in the first leg – and Kingsley Coman, Tuchel thrust Guerreiro into an unfamiliar advanced role.
The move worked early on, with the Portuguese finding space on the left flank and linking up well with Jamal Musiala in the centre.
Arteta opted for the defensive stability of Takehiro Tomiyasu in place of Jakub Kiwior at left-back to neutralize Leroy Sane, but the Japanese, making his first start since December, was notably lacking in rhythm.
Tomiyasu completely misjudged a pass from Musiala early on, allowing Sane to saunter through the Arsenal box and force a corner.
Gabriel Martinelli was the visitors' most dangerous player in the first half. After seven minutes he pushed a curling ball just wide of the post and then shot directly at Manuel Neuer, with the goal beckoning after half an hour.
Bayern were the better team after the break and immediately came close, with Leon Goretzka heading Kimmich's clever cross onto the woodwork.
The pressure began to be felt and Bayern broke through after 63 minutes when Kimmich, one of the smallest players on the pitch, was allowed to slip through a crowded Arsenal box and head in a Guerreiro chip.
The hosts almost doubled their tally after Kane found an unmarked Sane in the penalty area, but the German winger fired his shot skywards.
Arsenal pushed for an equalizer and came close in stoppage time when Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka lunged at a bouncing ball in the penalty area but could not break through, ending the visitors' hopes of a return to the Champions League semi-finals came to an end for the first time since 2009. .
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