It was a do-or-die moment for Arsenal, as the English football club prepared to face off against Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday afternoon. The Gunners lost their first two matches in Group F, beaten by Greece's Olympiacos and Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb in fixtures they should have won. The losses left the team in a rough place, as they prepared to face their group's most fearsome opponent. They had two choices: win the game and stay in the mix for a possible round of 16 advancement or lose and fall irretrievably behind in Group F. Ultimately, and against all odds, Arsenal chose the former as Bayern Munich suffer surprise loss after a flawless season so far.
A Defensive Battle
By most measures, Bayern Munich had the better game. Arsenal had the home field advantage, but the Bavarians dominated the ball 70-30 and created more scoring opportunities to boot.
That's not to say that the Gunners played poor football, though. On the contrary, this was a great, great game of football. Arsenal may have only controlled the ball for about a half hour of the fixture, but their offense was on point for the entire match and always looked dangerous on the attack.
Unsurprisingly, this match ended up being first and foremost a contest between two goalkeepers. Most soccer pundits would point to Bayern's Manuel Neuer as the best goalkeeper 
in the world-hence his nomination for the Ballon d'Or award last year.
But Arsenal's Petr Cech is a formidable presence as well. The recent Chelsea transfer took a few weeks to adjust after arriving at Arsenal but is still tied with Manchester City's Joe Hart and West Bromwich Albion's Boaz Myhill as the most effective goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. The three keepers have tallied five clean sheets apiece, the same number that Neuer has for the current season.
Cech ultimately outplayed Manuel Neuer on Tuesday evening, making brilliant saves to stop shots from Thiago Alcantara, Douglas Costa, Arturo Vidal, and Robert Lewandowski.
Late-Game Moves
Surging past the 75th minute, the contest between Arsenal and Bayern Munich was still deadlocked at 0-0. Both soccer teams had made attacks that looked sure to end in scores-particularly a 32-minute drive from Arsenal's Theo Walcott. Neuer managed to stop Walcott's shot with an outstretched left hand, in a stunning, athletic save that will likely end up in the "UEFA Save of the Season" pool at the conclusion of the 2015 2016 campaign.
It wasn't until late in the game that the Gunners finally got a break of good luck. The first began with a free kick effort from Arsenal's Santi Cazorla, which Neuer saved. But Olivier Giroud was there to take a bizarre rebound, as Neuer's save struck him in the shoulder and rolled slowly 
over the goal line. Neuer should have been able to make the save, but the moment was so odd and unexpected that not even the world's best goalkeeper could quite comprehend what had happened until it was too late.
Arsenal's second break of good luck was no more traditional. This time, Mesut Ozil was the man sending the goal toward the line. Manuel Neuer did get a hand on this one, but soccer match officials ultimately determined that he only cleared it out of the goal after it had crossed the line.
Those two odd goals-the first of which clocked in at the 77-minute 
mark and the second at 90+4 minutes-changed the game and gave Arsenal a thoroughly unexpected 2-0 victory at home.
Arsenal still has some of work to do if they are going to reach the round of 16 in the 2015 2016 Champions League. In Group F, Bayern Munich is still in the lead with six points in the standings and +6 in goal difference. Olympiacos, who beat Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 on Tuesday, also have six points, but are back at -1 in terms of GD. Arsenal are third, with three points and an even zero in goal difference, while Zagreb bring up the rear with three points in the standings, but -5 in goal difference.
Which Group F team are you rooting for? Pick up a Bayern Munich shirt 2015 2016 or an Arsenal jersey 2015 2016 at Soccer Box to root for your favorite football club!
