Bayern Munich 1:1 Manchester City (1:4 on aggregate) (57. Haaland, 83. Kimmich)
ALLIANZ ARENA — Bayern fans note that they had many opportunities to inspire unthinkable thoughts. Bayern’s critics will say they missed them all.
On the night when one of the great survivors of the Champions League had to kick down the door or open a crack in Manchester City’s decision, they have only themselves to thank. Pep Guardiola is so close to his tenure limit that he can smell him.
For City, you can easily resell this as sustainable excellence or superior sustainability due to and despite the pressure they have faced. They sometimes had to swallow their pride and make compromises by kicking the ball when and where they could, but that tie was decided in a few decisive moments. In the end, City won all those moments.
When it comes to luck, it ranks lower in the hierarchy than skill, effort, and unshakable faith. And at some point, Erling Haaland will score.
Who knows if Bayern fans ever believed that. On the subway from Sendlinger Tor, they drank, clinked bottles, and came up with an escape route: attack immediately, score early, and then gradually increase the pressure on a team that has gremlins in this league. But these instructions were given with a sense of desperation and a twinkle in the air.
The city is too dangerous, too smart and too well prepared to succumb to the Bavarian rain. It doesn’t matter how many glam rock anthems or power ballads you play before you start playing; The city is no longer shocked.
However, there were many moments of them waving their arms as Bayern’s gang of cunning attacking midfielders and wingers forced them to look at their own goal and made them run. It all started with Kingsley Coman sneaking behind Nathan Ake, continued when Leroy Sane burst into space, and ended with Jamal Musiala flying into space in front of City’s defenses.
But they always had to score early; which requires precision. Coman’s first two breaks ended with a cross right in front of the net and a second right behind him. Sane converted a one-on-one chance past Ederson’s post. Ruben Diaz blocked the shot on the line and John Stones dived for the rebound.
Twice Leon Goretzka leaned back during shooting, making the Allianz Arena groan. It was such a night. Joshua Kimmich’s late penalty was deliberately overrated by the fans, which was more ironic than hopeful.
City’s original method of self-preservation was to choke on possession to quell the momentum. In the first half, they kept throwing the ball over the defensive line and then back to Ederson, like in a five-on-one match in the Power League, when you have no legs and you are trying to get the attention of the referee and whistle. They may have worn out on stages, especially when it came to losing possession on passes to midfield, but a first-leg lead has always held back the superpower.
And for all the breaks of Bayern, City missed a penalty and scored first. Dayot Upamecano, a magnet for incidents and controversy, had already canceled a red card for offside before acting in the box. The current handball rule could lead to severe penalties for injustice, but Haaland is a supporter of justice. He dribbled over a free-kick from 25 meters over the crossbar of Yann Sommer. I think we may have set a new bar for the “he’s human after all” discourse.
Recent history has always indicated that Upamecano will find a way to accidentally capture the scene. Haaland has plenty of ways to play a trick on you without slipping into your own penalty area like you’ve been blown away by sorcery. The difference between Bayern and City in those 180 minutes is the cutthroat finish: Eric Maxime Choupo-Moting against Erling Haaland is an unfortunate mismatch at the elite level. This is how Upamecano goes up against anyone Guardiola plays in central defence. Can you remember the worst individual performance in the European playoffs?
Munich would not have had a city declaration, an official seal or footprints, but they didn’t need it. They did what they wanted at home at Bayern and they did what they had to do on Wednesday night. We apologize for the condemnation of Milan, the semi-final against Real Madrid will be a game for all ages.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.