FC Bayern has mastered the first major pressure situation in the Champions League after a long run thanks to the new header specialist Jamal Musiala.
After the arduous but well-deserved 1-0 (0-0) against Benfica Lisbon, the Munich team can continue to hope for direct qualification for the round of 16 in the new league format of the premier football league. But the top 8 is still a long way away for now.
The game on Wednesday evening was overshadowed by a medical incident in the stands, which is why there was largely fan silence in the sold-out Allianz Arena. The Bayern fans in the south curve stopped their loud support.
The pioneer of this important success was Leroy Sané. The national player came into the game after 56 minutes for the ineffective Michael Olise and immediately livened up the offensive game in front of national coach Julian Nagelsmann with his dribbling, crosses and his move towards the goal.
Sané starting point at Musiala gate
First winger Joao Palhinha put the ball up for an unsuccessful shot attempt. Then Sané shot dangerously twice himself, but was denied by the good Benfica goalkeeper Anatolij Trubin.
Afterwards, Sané was the starting point for Musiala’s first header in the premier class. The national player used a header assist from Harry Kane. It was the well-deserved reward for a tireless and patient race in Munich.
Before kick-off, sports director Christoph Freund spoke to “DAZN” about “an unusual situation” for FC Bayern after the away defeats against Aston Villa and FC Barcelona.
Only three points from the first three preliminary round games created some pressure. “We actually have to win every game,” said Freund about the goal of moving straight into the round of 16 and not having to go to an extra knockout round.
Delayed kickoff
What was also unusual was that both teams had to reorganize their warm-up phase. Subway problems meant that many spectators did not make it to the stadium on time.
That’s why it didn’t start on the pitch until 9:15 p.m. And then the home game atmosphere only emerged for a very short time. The fans stopped cheering when an emergency doctor was called to the middle rank.
In the unusual silence of the stadium, the hosts struggled to find gaps in the tight Benfica defense around ex-Bayern player Renato Sanches.
The precision of the final pass was often lacking. And what was on goal was parried by the Ukrainian Trubin. He was right twice after a corner when shots were fired by Kane and Serge Gnabry (38′).
After all: Defensively, the Munich team didn’t let anything go wrong two weeks after the 4-1 defeat in Barcelona. Coach Vincent Kompany no longer lets his central defenders Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim defend too wildly forward and relies more on control.
After the break, Jan-Niklas Beste, who was signed from FC Heidenheim in the summer, came into play at Benfica. The 25-year-old mainly had to help defensively against the relentless Bayern, who finally got Sané and Musiala on track.
Source: www.sport.de
