LONDON: Bayern Munich ran riot with a second successive 5-1 hammering of Arsenal to reach the Champions League quarter-finals 10-2 on aggregate at a stunned Emirates Stadium early this morning.
Meanwhile, Dries Metens scored at both ends as Real Madrid beat Napoli 3-1 at the San Paolo to cruise into the quarter-finals with a 6-2 aggregate success.
Belgian Mertens had given Napoli a 24th minute lead to halve the 3-1 deficit they had suffered in the last 16 first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu three weeks ago.
But Sergio Ramos proved Real’s unlikely hero, heading home a corner seven minutes into the second half before another set-piece header was inadvertently turned into his own net by Mertens. Alvaro Morata added gloss to the score in injury time.
Arsenal, trailing 5-1 from the first leg and striving to become the first team in Champions League history to overturn such a deficit, led at halftime through Theo Walcott’s goal.
But once Robert Lewandowski equalised from the penalty spot and Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny was sent off, the Bundesliga leaders ran amok against their dispirited hosts.
Robben capitalised on a defensive mistake in the 68th minute before substitute Douglas Costa curled in a third to send Arsenal’s fans streaming towards the exits.
Bayern were not finished though and Arturo Vidal struck twice as Arsenal slumped to their worst home defeat since 1998 and a seventh successive elimination at the competition’s last-16 stage in humiliating fashion. Arsenal fans had mounted a small-scale demonstration calling for an end to manager Arsene Wenger’s 21-year reign at the club before kickoff – yet there was plenty to admire from his team in the first half as they attempted mission impossible.
In his programme notes Wenger called for a salvaging of pride after Arsenal’s second-half capitulation in Germany.
Alexis Sanchez was restored to the starting lineup after being dropped by Wenger against Liverpool and when Walcott smashed in a 20th-minute opener, it seemed Arsenal would at least exit with heads held high.
Olivier Giroud, pressed into action immediately before kickoff when Danny Welbeck injured himself in the warmup, wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 straight after the interval.
Then it all went horribly wrong for Arsenal and turned into a personal nightmare for Wenger whose position will again come under intense scrutiny once the dust has settled.