Sanchez Goal Can't Help Arsenal

MUNICH - Arsenal hopes lie in tatters at the last-16 stage yet again following a first-leg battering at Bayern Munich in s Champions League match today. They loose 5-1 from Munich

The Gunners, who have been eliminated in the first knockout round of the competition in each of the last six seasons, twice by Bayern, not only conceded five goals but over 75 percent possession in Germany.

Their challenge lasted until the break thanks to Alexis Sanchez, who followed up his own missed penalty to equalise after Arjen Robben's superbly-struck 25-yard opener.

But after Arsenal lost Laurent Koscielny to injury early in the second half, Bayern ran riot during a 10-minute period in which Robert Lewandowski headed home before Thiago Alcantara scored twice. Substitute Thomas Muller rubbed salt in the wounds with a late fifth.

It leaves Arsenal with a near impossible task in the second leg and heaps more pressure on manager Arsene Wenger, who now only has the FA Cup as a realistic source of silverware in what will go down as another failed season.

In this match, Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in 33 goals in his last 31 games in all comps

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, speaking: "It is difficult to explain. I felt we had two good chances to score just before half-time.

"I felt we were unlucky for the second goal. The referee gave a corner for us at first. Then we concede the second goal and then the most important was that we lost Koscielny. We collapsed.

"Overall I must say they are a better team than us, they played very well in the second half and we dropped our level. We were a bit unlucky we dropped our level and they were better than us."