AOliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic suffered in the stands with petrified faces. After the painful bankruptcy in the giant duel, Thomas Tuchel quickly embraced Pep Guardiola before the FC Bayern coach started to build up the necessary football miracle in Munich. FC Bayern is about to be eliminated after a 0: 3 (0: 1) in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League at Manchester City.
“Brutal, the first 60 minutes in particular were very, very good,” said Captain Joshua Kimmich on Amazon Prime Video, drawn and battered by a difficult fight with a black eye: “The result is bitter.” Show, the Munich team gambled away a better starting position for the second leg next Wednesday at home due to their own mistakes after the break.
After a dream goal by Rodri (27th minute) from around 22 meters, Dayot Upamecano initiated the 0:2 by Bernardo Silva (70th) with a serious mistake. Super striker Erling Haaland, preparer at 2-0, shocked Bayern with another goal (76th). Amazon Prime expert Matthias Sammer pointed out: “We have to get back to that level, rigorously: mistakes are not an option. Even if it doesn’t look pretty. But we just make too many mistakes at the top level.”
Thomas Müller surprisingly only substitute at Bayern
Bayern coach Tuchel was anything but disappointed. “I don’t see the result at all,” he said. They were punished in their best phases, “when we were completely the better team”. His team was “punished bitterly”: “We pay with a very bitter result. But I refuse to talk bad about the performance in any way. I’m very satisfied. There was absolutely more in it, we deserved much more. I fell in love with my team in this game.” Only “a bit of form, a bit of trust in some players” is missing.
Driven by the former Manchester star Leroy Sané, the Munich team repeatedly tried to equalize, but the Cityzens were simply more powerful offensively. In wind and rain, the new Bayern coach, who had done without captain Thomas Müller in the starting eleven, cheered his team on with gestures and calls from the line just as emotionally as the former Munich coach Pep Guardiola did for the home team. His star selection underlined why City are the big favorites to win the title this season.
The two coaching giants quickly shook hands with a smile and then the game could begin. And how! In the constant rain, Tuchel and Guardiola were in full swing, sometimes only a few meters apart. And on the slippery lawn, the Munich team tried to survive the massive Manchester start phase.
Tuchel decided against Müller for tactical reasons. “I love Thomas, but we don’t expect a typical Thomas Müller game. In other words, the last 30 meters, where he’s absolutely world class, that’s the zone where we think we can only get in with speed.” That’s why Tuchel opted for “runners, speed and fast dribblers,” emphasized the Bayern coach . The Munich team tried to compensate for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s injury failure with mobility on the offensive. The predicates required were fast, agile and good at dribbling.
And there were initially some indications that Tuchel had adjusted his team well to the dreaded Guardiola team, which has scored eight wins with 31:3 goals in the past eight competitive games – including the 7-0 in the round of 16 second leg at home against RB Leipzig with the five pack from Haaland.
According to sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern “didn’t have the wherewithal” for the Norwegian about a year ago. They had him relatively under control now. Half a chance in the fifth minute, a brave and optimistic pass at the last moment from Bayern keeper Yann Sommer in front of Haaland and another shot by the 22-year-old, which the Swiss easily parried – that’s it from Haaland.
Manchester’s Rodri initiates the defeat
City’s urge to start the minute was a bit slowed down, Bayern offered Manchester little space and tried to keep the ball. Despite Manchester’s massive potential, an artful shot was needed.
Seconds earlier, national player Jamal Musiala had the Bayern lead on his feet, but his shot from around twelve meters was blocked. On the other side, Musiala was too easily tricked and Rodri took measure, the ball hitting the goal triangle. On the sidelines, Tuchel stretched his arms up out of frustration, while the two coach stars turned towards the bench with different feelings.
And with the goal, Manchester’s sovereignty came back in the game. City demonstrated that the team is the favorite for the title. However, Bayern held out well. But it lacked the power. It became dangerous up front when ex-City pro Sané was involved, as in a long-range shot in injury time in the first half.
In the game backwards, Joshua Kimmich earned top marks, but not even Kimmich could prevent the top chance for a possible 2-0 through city captain and national player Ilkay Gündogan after a high five from Sommer when running out. In the end, Sommer made up for his mistake and parried with his foot.
Half-time conclusion from national coach Hansi Flick: “The game is at a very high level.” But you could already tell that both teams had respect for each other. Before the eyes of Flick, who had not recently nominated him, Sané scored the first shot on goal with a fluttering ball seconds after the break and initiated turbulent minutes.
First with another Sané chance, but again Ederson parried. After a misunderstanding between Sommer and the unfortunate Dayot Upamecano, things got heated in the Bayern penalty area, and it was only with a lot of effort and luck that Bayern prevented the second City goal.
And back to the other side, again Sané, again Ederson. After that, Sommer once again had to use all his skills against a City team repeatedly driven by Kevin De Bruyne – but the Belgian had to go out a good twenty minutes before the end. Tuchel also swapped staff: Sadio Mané, once at Liverpool FC, came for Musiala.
But the problem was behind. Upamecano didn’t look safe the whole time and lost the ball completely unnecessarily to Jack Grealish. Pass to Silva, goal. Tuchel shook his head in disbelief. Bayern staggered tremendously. And Haaland gave them the rest. After the end of the DFB Cup against SC Freiburg in the quarter-finals, FC Bayern now needs a football miracle so that they don’t have to finally check off the next title chance in the young Tuchel era in the coming week.
The Bayern chances in the second leg
A look at the history of the Champions League can at least give FC Bayern fans a little hope after the bankruptcy at Manchester City. Although the German record champions are under enormous pressure with the 0:3, other teams have already made up such a deficit. “Nothing is given away,” said coach Tuchel combatively.
The second leg between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in the round of 16 of the 2016/2017 season was sensational. PSG had won the first leg in Paris 4-0 – the Catalans turned the knockout round with a 6-1 in the second leg.
In the 2018/19 semi-finals, Liverpool were all but eliminated after losing 3-0 in the first leg at FC Barcelona, but they made it back to the final with a 4-0 win in the second leg at home, which Jürgen Klopp’s team even won. The previous season, AS Roma had come back from a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals, albeit thanks to the away goals rule.
