Arsenal hasn't reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) since the 2008-2009 season.
Arsenal fell to Bayern Munich 0-1 in the second leg of the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 4:00 a.m. ET on Monday. Arsenal suffered a quarterfinal disappointment with a 2-3 aggregate scoreline.
The Gunners failed to beat Bayern in the first leg at home. Arsenal, the most balanced offense in the English Premier League (EPL) this season, shouldn't have drawn 2-2 at home against Bayern, the weakest team in the 21st century.
Even if Bayern are weaker, the Allianz Arena is a hellhole for away teams. Arsenal's trademark organized attack was not on display, and they were eventually eliminated.
After the game, soccer statistics outlet Transfer Marks shed light on Arsenal's dark days. Arsenal are one of the most recognizable clubs in the world, but they haven't reached the UCL quarterfinals since the 2008-2009 season. It's the longest it's been since any of the big six Premier League (EPL) clubs have reached the UCL quarterfinals. Arsenal's eternal rivals, Tottenham, also reached the UCL final in the 2018-2019 season.
Arsenal's last UCL quarterfinal opponent was Manchester United. The Red Devils 토토 defeated Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate to reach the final. Arsenal lost the second leg of the quarterfinals at home, 3-1, and it was one of the games of Park's life.
Park opened the scoring in the eighth minute after Kieran Gibbs failed to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo's cross as he fell to the ground. Three minutes later, Ronaldo, whose name is synonymous with uncontested free kicks, scored from an ultra-long range free kick.
In the 16th minute of the second half, a counterattack that will go down in UCL history. Ronaldo's back-heel pass to Park Ji-Sung set up the United counterattack. Park played a pass to Wayne Rooney. Rooney played a pass back to Ronaldo, who cut in at breakneck speed and rattled the Arsenal goal as he fell. Robin van Persie pulled a goal back for Arsenal, but the game was already over.
The Gunners had been so good this season that they had a golden opportunity to reach the top four of the UCL for the first time under Arsène Wenger, but they were knocked out again by Bayern, a team that has a history of bruising them on the UCL stage. Revenge failed.
Arsenal's hopes of winning their first UCL title in the club's history, on the heels of winning the EPL, have melted away in the space of a week. The Gunners' hopes of winning the EPL title are still alive, but their fans are starting to give up hope after seeing them falter at key moments.