Declan Rice struck late to earn Arsenal a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. Harry Kane had looked set to win it for the hosts. Then the Arsenal midfielder had the final say on a wild night at the Allianz Arena.
Last season’s runners-up now have seven points from three league phase games.
Eze Makes an Instant Impact
Arsenal (6.49) suffered an early blow when Bukayo Saka went down inside 10 minutes. He signalled to the bench straight away and could not continue. Mikel Arteta later admitted the injury “doesn’t look good at all”.
Eberechi Eze replaced him, and the substitute soon made his mark.
Arsenal started on the front foot. They pinned Bayern back with their physical edge and high energy. The Bundesliga champions had faced two Norwegian sides in their opening games. This was a different test altogether.
In the 25th minute, Martin Odegaard floated a pass across the Bayern defence. Eze timed his run perfectly and stroked the ball past Manuel Neuer. The linesman raised his flag for offside, but VAR overturned the call. The goal stood, and Bayern looked stunned.
Kane Pulls the Strings
Bayern (6.98) did not stay behind for long. In the 35th minute, Kane dropped deep and spotted Alphonso Davies on the move. He threaded a pass from halfway, through midfield and around Gabriel. Davies broke clear and calmly beat David Raya with his right foot.
The equaliser shifted the momentum, and Bayern grew into the game.
Both goalkeepers then took centre stage. Raya clawed away a close-range header from Davies to keep the scores level. After the break, Neuer tipped a Bruno Guimaraes header onto the crossbar. Raya replied by denying Dayot Upamecano at the other end.
Kane soon struck again. On 61 minutes, his shot from the edge of the area hit Jurrien Timber’s arm. The referee pointed to the spot without hesitation. Kane stepped up and blasted the penalty into the roof of the net.
Rice Has the Final Say
Bayern looked in control for much of the next 20 minutes. Yet Arsenal refused to fold.
Noni Madueke and late substitute Viktor Gyokeres combined in a slick passing move. Gyokeres then slipped a clever ball into Rice’s path inside the box. The England midfielder fired a clinical finish past Neuer from a tight angle.
The 82nd-minute strike spared Arsenal a first defeat in 14 league phase or group games. It was only the second time they have dropped points in 12 games this season.
Rice said Arteta had drilled a clear message into the squad before kick-off. “We’re not just coming in to sit and hit on the counter,” he told TNT Sports. “We wanted to match them all over the pitch.”
He also praised the hosts. “At home, they’re one of the best teams in Europe with Paris,” he added.
Kai Havertz felt the result was fair. “We can be proud of our performance,” he said. “It’s anything but easy to hold your own here.”
Kane Closes In on Ronaldo
Kane’s penalty was his 58th Champions League goal. It was also his 16th goal against Arsenal, his old north London rivals. More importantly, it extended his scoring run to 10 straight Champions League games.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo has gone further. He holds the record of 11 in a row for Real Madrid. Kane can match that mark in Bayern’s next league phase game.
His timing could hardly be better. The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place on Monday in London, Kane’s hometown. He is among the favourites after a superb season.
“The Ballon d’Or would be amazing to win,” Kane told DAZN. “But there’s nothing I can do. The voting closed a long time ago.”
In the match itself, he kept things realistic. “Probably a draw was a fair result overall,” he said. “We take the point and move on.”
Absences on Both Sides
Bayern were far from full strength. Michael Olise missed out through suspension. Joshua Kimmich was absent after a death in his family. Jamal Musiala was also unavailable. Coach Vincent Kompany battled illness but still took his place in the dugout.
Despite those gaps, Bayern created plenty of chances. Kane made sure they stayed a threat against one of Europe’s tightest defences.
For Arsenal, the bigger worry is Saka. The winger is central to everything they do in attack. Arteta will now wait anxiously for news on his fitness.
How the Table Looks
Arsenal sit on seven points from three games. Bayern trail them by two points on five.
Paris Saint-Germain (4.49), Aston Villa (50.86), Real Madrid (8.98), Liverpool (20.95) and Real Betis (66.82) all have perfect records. Each side has won all three of their games so far.
Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig (150.59) 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler were among the scorers. Thibaut Courtois also made key early saves to keep Leipzig at bay.
Manchester United (498.97) endured a night to forget in northern Italy. Nico Paz scored twice and set up another as Como won 4-1.
Elsewhere, Galatasaray won 4-2 at Lille, and Inter Milan edged Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0. Aston Villa beat Viking 3-1, while LASK stunned Sporting 3-2 in Lisbon.
For Arsenal, a point in Munich is a solid return. Keeping Saka fit could matter far more.
