In Munich, Arsenal left with a point from a 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich, a match shaped as much by the goalkeepers as by the attacking quality on show. Bruno Guimarães came closest to putting the visitors ahead from a set piece, only for Manuel Neuer to keep out his close-range header on the line.
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Arsenal had led during the first half before Bayern turned the contest around. Declan Rice then brought the English side level with a fine finish at the end of a collective move, preserving their unbeaten start to the European campaign.
The draw followed victories in Arsenal’s opening two Champions League fixtures, although the result moved them down to seventh in the standings.
Guimarães reflected on Neuer’s intervention with a joke familiar to Brazilian supporters, saying that this time he had faced “the real Neuer”. He described the save as outstanding and noted that the chance came from a routine Arsenal have worked on extensively.
“It was a very good match. Both teams wanted to play football above all,” the Brazilian midfielder said.
His opportunity arrived from a Martin Ødegaard corner, underlining Arsenal’s continued emphasis on dead-ball situations. The club have made set pieces a regular attacking strength in recent seasons, but Guimarães said they are still waiting for their first goal from a corner this season.
“We work on set pieces every day and train them constantly,” he said. “We have scored plenty of goals, of course, but none from corners yet. It is a shame that I did not score, because set pieces decide so much in modern football. It is something we take very seriously at Arsenal.”
Despite the frustration around the missed header and the shift in the league table, Guimarães saw enough in Munich to take encouragement from the evening.
“It was an enjoyable game, honestly, though I think we deserved a little more luck,” he said. “That is football. We continue on our path and we are still unbeaten.”
