Arsenal out of Champions League
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-10 08:50

Bayern Munich has squeezed through to the Champions League quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate despite a 1-0 defeat by a frustrated Arsenal side at Highbury.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (L) and defender Lucio of Brazil celebrate their team's victory during a Champions League first knockout round second leg soccer match against Arsenal at Highbury in London March 9, 2005. [Reuters]

The four-times European champions had to endure a nervy finish after Thierry Henry's 66th-minute winner for the English side in the second leg of the first knockout round tie.

France striker Henry controlled a long ball forward neatly and fired home to crack the resistance of the German Bundesliga leaders who had barely been troubled until then.

"We're obviously all delighted," Bayern coach Felix Magath said on Wednesday.

"It was tense until the final whistle. Things got tight after Arsenal got the goal. It's a tremendous relief that we made it through.

"We controlled the match and only made the one mistake that led to their goal. Arsenal are a team that could have made it to the finals and won the Champions League."

Arsenal have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition and again came up short as they found a 3-1 first-leg deficit too much to overcome.

Bayern outplayed the English champions in the first leg two weeks ago and picked up where they had left off.

Magath's side were missing top scorer Roy Makaay through injury but had Germany midfielder Michael Ballack back to bolster the midfield.

The Germans' all-Peruvian strike force of Paolo Guerrero and Claudio Pizarro, who scored twice in Munich, carried more of a threat than Arsenal's attack in a tense first half.

REAL EFFORT

The home side's only real effort of note came at the end of a frustrating opening period. Bayern's German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn stood his ground, however, when Henry escaped down the left and blocked the France striker's shot with his legs.

Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira dragged a volley wide at the start of the second period as the English side desperately sought a goal to get back into the tie.

With 25 minutes left Wenger threw on a barely match-fit Robert Pires and almost immediately Arsenal scored.

Left back Ashley Cole chipped diagonally towards Henry and he controlled the ball in an instant before slamming it low across Kahn and into the corner of the net.

Ballack clattered Vieira soon after as the temperature rose on a chilly north London night and the German then dribbled through before drawing a brilliant save from Kahn's rival for the Germany shirt, Arsenal's Jens Lehmann.

Kolo Toure, scorer of Arsenal's goal in the first leg, forced Kahn to push over a late header but the visitors looked more likely to score in the final stages and, over the two legs, thoroughly deserved to progress to the last eight.

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