Declan Rice struck eight minutes from time on Wednesday night to earn Arsenal a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, keeping last season’s Champions League runners-up unbeaten in this campaign. The England midfielder’s finish cancelled out a Harry Kane penalty that had put Bayern ahead just after the hour. Arsenal now have seven points from three matches in the league phase, while Bayern have five.
The result was the third meeting between the two clubs in under three years, and it carried more weight than a single point suggests. Arsenal were heading for their first defeat in 14 league phase or group stage matches before Rice intervened. They sit seventh in the 36-team table, inside the top eight that qualify directly for the round of 16. Bayern are 14th, in the band that would send them into the knockout playoff round in February.
Arsenal’s evening began badly. Bukayo Saka limped off injured inside the opening 10 minutes, and Mikel Arteta sent on Eberechi Eze in his place. The substitution paid off in the 25th minute when Eze opened the scoring with a well-taken strike, his finish giving Arsenal the lead in one of the most hostile grounds in Europe.
Bayern responded within 10 minutes. Kane threaded a sublime pass through the Arsenal defence and Alphonso Davies finished in the 35th minute to level the scores before half-time. Arsenal also picked up two yellow cards in the first half, both in the opening 39 minutes, as Bayern’s pressing forced them into early fouls.
Kane then put the hosts in front in the 61st minute. His shot from the edge of the area struck the arm of Jurrien Timber, the referee pointed straight to the spot, and the Bayern captain sent his penalty home. The goal was his 16th against Arsenal, a record built largely during his years at Tottenham Hotspur, where north London derbies became his personal territory.
The strike also added to a remarkable run. Kane has now scored in 10 consecutive Champions League matches, becoming only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to achieve that feat. “A draw was a fair result,” the striker said after the match, though he admitted to some disappointment that Bayern could not hold on.
Arsenal’s equaliser came from the bench as much as from Rice. A quick passing move involving Noni Madueke and the substitute Viktor Gyokeres opened the Bayern defence, and Rice burst into the box to beat Manuel Neuer from a tight angle in the 82nd minute. Rice later praised Gyokeres, saying the Swede had been making a strong impact as a substitute.
The match statistics reflect how evenly the contest was balanced. Arsenal had 57 per cent of possession and 10 shots, four of them on target. Bayern managed 12 attempts with five on target, and committed 15 fouls to Arsenal’s five, a sign of how hard the German champions worked to disrupt Arsenal’s passing rhythm.
The meeting revived a rivalry that has grown sharper over the past three seasons. In April 2024, the clubs drew 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final, with Kane scoring from the spot that night as well, before Bayern progressed. Arsenal took a measure of revenge in November 2025, beating Bayern 3-1 in London on their way to the top of the league phase table.
That victory set the tone for Arsenal’s most successful season in two decades. The Gunners won the Premier League for the first time in more than 20 years and reached the Champions League final for only the second time in their history, their first appearance since losing to Barcelona in 2006. In Budapest on May 30, they drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain after extra time before losing 4-3 on penalties, with Gabriel firing the decisive kick over the bar.
That defeat still shapes how Arsenal approach this campaign. Their first two results suggested a team determined to go one step further, with a 1-0 win away at Napoli in September followed by a 3-0 victory over Lille at the Emirates on October 13. Wednesday’s comeback adds evidence of resilience, even if the clean sheets of those opening matches gave way in Munich.
For Bayern, five points from three games leaves room for improvement. Vincent Kompany’s side remain dangerous at home, and Kane’s form ensures they will be a threat in every match. Still, they now trail Arsenal by two points in a format where every result affects seeding for the knockout rounds.
The congested schedule offers little rest. Arsenal travel to Slavia Prague on November 4 before hosting Borussia Dortmund on November 24 and Real Madrid on December 9. Saka’s fitness will be the immediate concern for Arteta, with the club yet to give a full assessment of the injury that forced him off in Munich.