No change in Arsenal’s fortune

LONDON: Bayern Munich deepened the sense of crisis at Arsenal on Tuesday and took a huge step towards the Champions League quarterfinals with a comprehensive 3-1 away win over the English outfit in
their last 16 first leg clash.

Bayern took a firm grip of their match early on with goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller, and although compatriot Lukas Podolski reduced the deficit, Croatian Mario Mandzukic added a deserved third late on to leave Arsenal staring at an eighth successive season without a trophy.

It will heap even more pressure on their manager Arsene Wenger, who had gone into the match on the back of an FA Cup exit to championship side Blackburn Rovers and a tetchy performance in the eve-of-match press conference.

However, the esoteric Frenchman was gracious in defeat, accepting that they had been well beaten and that they faced a tough task to overcome the deficit in the second leg.

His Bayern counterpart Jupp Heynckes praised his side's performance and was especially complimentary about Mandzukic's display. (AFP)