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| Olivier Giroud scored Arsenal's opener in their 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League |
OLIVIER GIROUD last night rescued Arsenal's Champions League season as the Gunners sensationally became the first team to beat Bayern Munich this season.
Arsene Wenger's side, who had lost their opening two Champions League matches, needed a victory to have realistic hopes of staying in the competition.
Giroud struck in the 77th minute and then Mesut Ozil scored a second in the fourth minute of stoppage-time when goal line technology deemed that the ball had gone over the line to spark amazing scenes at the Emirates.
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| Giroud bundling his effort over the line to give Arsenal the lead at the Emirates |
And it was not Bayer's night - because on the way to the match their team bus suffered a prang with a car.
"We knew that it would be difficult but thankfully we have done it. We have to thank Petr (Cech) because he has had a fantastic game," said Giroud. "We are all pleased because we played against a fantastic team and managed to beat them.
"We knew Bayern Munich would have a lot of the ball - they had more than 70% - but we were patient and finally scored. Now we need to focus on the following games and keep the confidence high."
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| Giroud thanked Petr Cech for his 'fantastic display' |
Manager Arsene Wenger, who has lost midfielder Aaron Ramsey for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, said: "It was a top-level game between two good teams. Bayern had more possession than us, but we decided to make it tight in our final third, and catch them on the break. Overall we have beaten a very strong team, kept a good level of focus and kept a clean sheet.
"This win strengthens our belief and the belief in the people around us, for our fans. We won 3-0 against Manchester United, 3-0 at Watford and 2-0 against Bayern. It's important we have a good balance between defending and attacking. And if we defend well and score goals, then the balance is right."
For Manuel Neuer, considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world, it was a game of contrasts. The World Cup winner produced one of the saves of his career when he clawed a Theo Walcott header off the goal line in the first half. But he was at fault for the Arsenal opener, failing to catch the flight Santi Cazorla free-kick.
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| Manuel Neuer superbly saving Theo Walcott's headed effort in the first half |
Guardiola refused to publicly blame Neuer for the mistake, saying: "Never in my life do I criticise a player for taking a decision. We didn't lose because of him. That's football."
The Spaniard said he was "so happy with the performance" and "very proud of my team" because they "played with a lot of courage".
Yet injuries might affect the next meeting in Munich on November 4, with Guardiola adding: "I hope we can count more players for the second game. We are in big trouble now. Hopefully in the next week to 10 days they can all recover."
Thousands of Bayern Munich refused to take their seats in the opening five minutes in protest at the £64 charged for ticket admission.
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