Even if Arsenal produce some sort of miracle resurrection to save their Champions League campaign, this thumping defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich proved that Arsene Wenger should write off the competition this season.
The Gunners supporters arrived hoping to see something special but instead watched on in agony from high in the top tier here as their team were smashed 5-1 by the German champions.
Bayern toyed with Arsenal. They outclassed them and outpassed them and the visitors spent a humbling 90 minutes chasing shadows as Pep Guardiola’s side turned on the style.
Wenger tried a repeat of the tactics that worked in the 2-0 win over Bayern last month. But despite packing men behind the ball and defending deep, the home players had all of the time and space they wanted to cut Arsenal open.
And they did it with an electrifying performance, especially in the first-half. Arsenal could not get near Thiago in central midfield as he controlled the tempo, they could not handle the movement of Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski up front.
The Gunners have improved markedly domestically in the last year but that has not been reflected in Europe where they have now lost three of their four group stage matches this season. Their last 16 hopes are hanging by the smallest of threads.
They might yet reach the knockout stages if they win their final two games against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos - but an inevitable would still await as soon as they have to face a top side over two legs.
Arsenal simply don’t have the quality or tactical nous when it comes to games against the likes of Bayern, Real Madrid and Barcelona. They may have beaten Guardiola’s men in London, but that was the exception to the rule.
If Arsenal are dumped out of the Champions League in the first stage for the first time in 16 years, it would not be a disaster, providing they don’t end up in the worst-case scenario also known as the Europa League.
The most optimistic Arsenal fan in the world would still admit that winning Europe’s elite competition is a pipe dream. They are miles behind the very best teams on the continent and there is no shame in acknowledging that.
This season must be all about the Premier League - a competition Arsenal can actually win - for Wenger and his players.
To qualify for the next stage, they now need to beat Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos.
There was a sense even before kick-off that Bayern were out to prove a point after their 2-0 loss in their last Champions League match and the Allianz Arena was bouncing before kick-off.
Arsenal arrived confident of picking up at least a point, but they were almost instantly overwhelmed by the hosts.
Lewandowski headed in the opener in the 10th minute before Muller fired in Bayern’s second in the 29th minute from 12 yards.
David Alaba’s wonderful strike from 25 yards made it 3-0 at half-time and the goals kept coming after the restart.
Substitute Arjen Robben made it three with his first touch 10 minutes after the break before Olivier Giroud scored a stunning consolation for Arsenal with a scissor kick.
By then, though, Bayern were in cruise control and conserving their energy. Chances for a fifth came and went several times until Muller scored his second of the night with a neat finish in the final moments.
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