Petr’s comments on Bayern game: it was one of my very best Arsenal games

You were praised left and right after the game. Was this your best Arsenal game so far?
Considering the importance of the match as well as my saves which contributed to the win, it was definitely one of my very best Gunners games. If we’d lost, we could have on our way out of the Champions League, but we’re back in the game this way. Plus we were playing a team which had one all 12 matches leading up to this one. That goes to show just how valuable our win was and I could not be more satisfied.

Bayern had so far scored in every game. Are you happy to be the first one to break that streak?
We know they were on quite the scoring streak and you could tell just how confident they were. They were dictating the pace of the game. But we got into a huge scoring opportunity towards the end of the first half which Neuer managed to save by miracle. We were mostly looking the maintain the pressure and to not concede. Had Bayern scored from one of the opening opportunities they had, everything would have become more complicated. This way our plan stayed on the table and we knew we could make it.

What decided the outcome?
The result was mostly sealed around the 75th minute when Lewandowski missed a huge chance and we scored soon after. We could easily have been losing but we took the lead instead. That really gave us wings. We knew the win was within our reach and ultimately claimed the victory with a second goal. Everyone deserves praise. We worked great as a team, that was absolutely key.

Some of your saves were absolutely brilliant. Which one was the toughest one? The one after Lewandowski’s goal opportunity?
Probably, yes. That was their most promising opportunity, together with Thiago’s one at the start.

Had you been studying Lewandowski’s strategies? You stayed put till the last second.
I’d noticed he’d already lobbed the goalie twice this season, so I refused to launch myself on the ground. When I stayed put, I effectively took that option away from him and he had to go for for a strike the usual way. Luckily I was able to stick my hand in there and knock the ball out with my forearm. It was a bit of an ice-hockey save!

People also referred to the game as a duel of two major goalkeepers. Neuer ultimately ended up making a mistake which was fatal to Bayern.
It was a bit unfortunate for him. It sometimes happens that things just don’t work out the way you want them to. But he performed a spectacular save in the first half after Walcott’s header and generally had the team’s back for the vast majority of the game. In matches like this only the tiniest errors can be crucial and this time it was we who came out on top.

When you examine the match stats, you will find that ball possession was at 68:32 for Bayern and the total passes at 741:288. Are those surprising numbers?
Not really. Our ball possession as well as number of passes is under normal circumstances higher than our opponent’s but Bayern’s very specific. They’re really keen in the preparatory phase and pass a lot. It’s important to defend as best as you can in the last phase of the game, in order to not let them into the box with those short passes. We had to put up with the fact that we were in possession to a lesser extent than we would otherwise be. But we remained disciplined and managed to get into other opportunities, as well. Football is about scoring goals, and we scored two.

Olympiakos beat Zagreb in the second match of the Group and thus holds six points, just like Bayern.
A draw would have been better for us, obviously, but what can you do. It’s essential that we got those three points off Bayern. We’re back in the game and still have a chance to qualify. It’s all up to us no to deal with the remaining three games accordingly.