Not beaten. Not battered.
Still out, though.
Still left wondering what might have been, questioning whether they might have pulled off that Miracle in Munich, made Mission: Impossible, possible.
But after a while, the hard-luck stories lose their lustre when it comes to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal.
Gallant failure remains failure. Moaning about Wojciech Szczesny's red card in the first leg ignores the missed penalty by Mesut Ozil that was equally costly.
And while there were a few brief moments, after Lukas Podolski left the Allianz Arena howling in fury and then stunned into disbelief, when Wenger and his meant caught a sniff of glory, the aroma did not last long.
This, remember, was supposed to be the night when Ozil made amends for his penalty flop at The Emirates.
When Wenger's side found the courage to turn the Champions League form book on its head.
The stage for these Gunners to transform their reputation.
Instead, although Podolski's goal, getting away with a blatant shove on Philipp Lahm before rifling between Manuel Neuer and his near post, identified some of the pretensions of Pep Guardiola's side, it was never with sufficient intensity to seriously threaten exposing them.
What Wenger needed was eight or nine players standing up to the challenge.
He got far fewer. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for one, the England midfielder demonstrating genuine conviction, verve and penetration on the ball.
Podolski, too, especially in the second half, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, despite the stoppage time error which handed Bayern a penalty missed by Thomas Muller.
And, unquestionably, Lukasz Fabianski, handling secure, bravery unquestioned, who deserved to keep out Muller's spot-kickand ensure Arsenal had a morale-boosting draw to cling to.

Yet, in truth, that was never going to be enough, even against a Bayern side who played in second gear, who believed the tie was already, as Champions League history, suggested, more than half over before it started.
That Arsenal might have ended up sending on an ineligible substitute - until the late realisation that Ryo Miyaichi, due to complete the bench, could not play - suggested disarray.
Wenger's line-up, Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle, Ozil, Podolski and Santi Cazorla in the line behind Olivier Giroud, promised something different.
Yet, Oxlade-Chamberlain aside, Arsenal never really got going, Ozil a disappointment, not flattering, merely deceiving, even before the hamstring injury proclaimed by Wenger after the final whistle.
Only when Oxlade-Chamberlain got on the ball did were Bayern discomforted, Giroud nodding their only real attempt too close to Neuer.
At the other end, with Franck Ribery and David Alaba double-teaming poor Bacary Sagna, Mertesacker and Koscielny were bailing out a leaking boat.
Bayern lacked the killer instinct, Arjen Robben - the target of Wenger's most-match vitriol - volleying down and over the bar, Javi Martinez offside as he converted Thiago Alcantara's free-kick, Mario Gotze thwarted by Koscielny's clearance and Fabianski's save.
When Ozil failed to reappear after the break Tomas Rosicky gave Arsenal more, but the story did not change.
Robben should have been booked when he threw himself theatrically to the ground in the vicinity of Cazorla but soon afterwards Arsenal were undone.

Ribery, not for the first time, was too good for Sagna and when he rolled across Bastian Schweinsteiger, six yards out, had time to pick his spot.
Instead of capitulation, though, an Arsenal response. Even Wenger thought Podolski had fouled Lahm but there was no whistle and the finish by a man who was far from popular here even in huis Bayern days was outstanding.
An opportunity. Bayern displaying unexpected fragility, a spell which made you feel Real Madrid are the real favourites to lift the trophy in Lisbon in May.
Arsenal did not have enough firepower, Neuer was untested, normal service was resumed.
Fabianski, bravely, denied Mario Mandzukic and then, at the very death, after Koscielny DID clip Robben, Muller's weak effort from 12 yards.
Not that it mattered. Arsenal had been two tame over 180 minutes. Wenger's blame-game efforts fooled nobody.
No embarrassment. But no glory either. The long-craved silverware will have to be domestic.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid eased to a 4-1 home win over AC Milan, meaning they cruised through to the last eight 5-1 on aggregate.