Bayern Munich showed their ability to get something out of nothing on Tuesday night. A first-half header from Lea Schüller gave the German heavyweights a 1-0 lead at the halfway stage of the Champions League quarter-final.

The hosts could have run away with a result after the opener when chances to go two or three goals up followed. Instead, Bayern used their experience to navigate through to victory, leaving a resilient Arsenal team wondering what could have been ahead of the second leg. 

It just wasn't Arsenal's night as they piled the pressure on throughout the second half to no effect. 25 shots but no goal to show for it leaves The Gunners needing it all to do at the Emirates next Wednesday.

Alexander Strauss is yet to lose a home game this season managing Bayern as his side attacked clinically and defended expertly to extend their unbeaten record under the lights at the Allianz Arena. 

  • Story of the match

Before their Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich, Arsenal hadn't played in eight days. A period of rest and recovery allowed Jonas Eidevall extra time to ponder his team selection and analyse the best possible options for thwarting a brawny Bayern side. 

However, the only change from their last match, a 4-0 home victory over Reading, saw Stina Blackstenius come into a 4-3-3 formation ahead of Lotte Wubben-Moy so that Leah Williamson could drop into the backline.

In her more familiar role, Williamson was dealt with weathering an early Bayern storm as she was called into two blocks in the opening minute. 

The latter of two quick chances for the home side came after Lioness favourite Georgia Stanway won the ball in midfield following a crunching tackle on Lia Wälti. 

She scanned her options and found the path of Sydney Lohman, but the winger's strike was stopped on the six-yard line by Williamson, who had to roar the Gunners on after a frantic first five minutes failed to give Arsenal many sights of the ball.

The German opposition was esurient in their start. And although experienced players like Kim Little helped Arsenal to take the sting out of a feverish Bayern frontline and avert early threats - ultimately, the first half was seized by a tight grip from a team that has reached this stage of the competition in six of the last seven seasons. 

While Arsenal had a penalty shout for Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir's block from a fierce Caitlin Foord drive ignored - and a subsequent cross met by Blackstenius missing the target - Eidevall's team did have a brief window of opportunity.

After 35 minutes, either team could have been in the lead. Certainly, it felt like Arsenal were winning the tactical battle, but Bayern had the firepower to blow away their guests in a heartbeat. 

Foord looked the most likely source for an Arsenal upset in the first period. Her switch to the right late in the half was an attempt to overwhelm Tuva Hansen on her Champions League debut.

However, the unassuming but unrelenting attack that Bayern can impose on their opponents made its starring appearance in the 38th minute. 

After feeding Maximiliane Rall on the right flank, Lea Schüller made a darting run to the back post to tower above Laura Wienroither, meet the resulting cross, and power a header beyond ex-Bayern goalkeeper Manu Zinsberger and into the top left corner.

The lead was deserved and could have been more if the goalscorer had just got her shot on target at the close of the half. The German striker found herself clear of the Arsenal defence, but her effort was poked inches wide of the post. 

A collective sigh of relief emanated from Arsenal, who knew that their sloppy end to the first half could have cost them the two legs, let alone just the night. 

Second half

Fortunately, a 1-0 scoreline gave Jonas Eidevall very little to panic about at the break. Instead, whatever he gave his team at halftime helped to relieve their nervousness and put The Gunners in with a chance of taking a positive result back to North London.

In the 51st minute, Foord, who had been Arsenal's best creative player on the night, rattled the post. The left winger made a wonderful mazing run before cutting inside and unleashing a curling strike that crashed off the foot of the far post.

Though the best chance for Arsenal so far, more opportunities followed. Foord was again close to breaking duck when she turned away from Zadrazil and bent another strike towards the same post. This time, it was too near to Grohs, who dived and recovered the ball at the second attempt. 

Everything good for Arsenal went through the 28-year-old. However, no goal was either a show of Bayern's strength in keeping their lead or The Gunners' weakness in finishing their glaring chances.

It was evident that Bayern had the experience at this stage. On the 60-minute mark, Saki Kumagai, a five-time winner of the Champions League for Lyon, was next to stifle an Arsenal attack as a scramble in the box was cleared off the line by the Japanese centre-half.

The hosts were happy with their lead, while Arsenal heaped pressure on their backline.

Foord fizzed another cross into the box to no avail, and another goalline clearance - this time by Hansen after a stabbed shot by Williamson amidst a crowd of players - left Eidevall bewildered as to how his team were still trailing with 20 minutes to go.

The Australian would have been forgiven for losing her cool after having so many shots and crosses go begging. She had given everything for her team to make a dream start to reach the semi-final stage for the first time in 10 years.

Instead, though, she refused to let up. At 77 minutes, she yet again swivelled to find some space, but her shot was predictably blocked. 

Up the other end, Bayern looked to capitalise on a rare foray forward when Rall rampaged forward with five minutes left on the clock. The right-back fired straight at Zinsberger and Arsenal held on. 

Arsenal also countered late on, but Maanum's shot was rushed, and it found the side-netting. The final opportunity went begging like the rest of The Gunners' 25 shots, leaving the north Londoners needing to do it all at the Emirates next week.

At the centre of almost every Arsenal attack was Foord. She will feel unlucky to not have gone home tonight without a goal or two. Though Arsenal did everything but score, it's not for the ones that tried.

With a little more clinical edge in the second leg, Foord could be the difference maker at the Emirates next week when Bayern make the trip to London.