Bayern vs Barcelona: 3 Talking Points From the Match

Bayern vs Barcelona: La Liga giants FC Barcelona suffered a very agonizing defeat against defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich at their latest UEFA Champions League tie.

Barcelona dominated the proceedings at the start of the match. They had a clear game plan to counter-press their opponents very high and create opportunities from Bayern’s mistakes. And they were successful in that.

However, the lack of finishing in the first half made sure that the game remains 0-0 at halftime. However, Bayern then came strong in the second half and scored two important goals within ten minutes.

Julian Nagelsmann’s team then showed great defensive structure and did not Barcelona to force any kind of a comeback. The Bavarians ended the match with a 2-0 win and once again proved their dominance over Barcelona. Here are three talking points from the match.

Bayern vs Barcelona: Barcelona’s bright start

FC Barcelona had a fantastic start to the match. They pressed the Bayern defense from the start of the match and forced errors from them.

Barcelona created their first chance of the match within ten minutes. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski found Pedri in the box, whose shot from close range was brilliantly saved by Manuel Neuer.

Then Barcelona’s press forced Bayern captain Manuel Neuer to do something really uncharacteristic and gave the ball away directly to Lewandowski. However, the Polish striker failed to take his chance as Upamecano showed great resilience at the back.

Robert Lewandowski then had the biggest opportunity of the match when he was found in the box after a brilliant counterattack. However, the Barcelona striker’s volley went over the bar. Within minutes his header from close range was somehow kept out by Manuel Neuer.

Then Brazilian winger Raphinha’s striker from just outside the box went agonizingly wide. So when the first half came to an end, Barcelona clearly missed a golden chance to kill off the game.

Bayern’s crazy spell of 10 minutes

After a poor performance in the first half, Bayern came out strong in the second half. Julian Naglesmann made one change and brought on Leon Goretzka in place of Leroy Sane.

This change stabilized the Bayern midfield which was getting outrun by the Barcelona midfield till that time.

Bayern then did something which they have done throughout the season. They had a crazy spell of the minutes, looked unstoppable, scored twice, and finished the match.

The first goal came through a corner when Barcelona failed to mark French centre-back, Lucas Hernandez, in the box as the Frenchman made no mistake and scored.

The second goal occurred from a counterattack as Jamal Musiala found Leroy Sane who finished calmly past Ter Stegen.

Xavi then quickly brought on, De Jong to counter Naglesmann’s Goreztka substitution and get the control back. De Jong had a decent outing but Barcelona could score past Bayern throughout the match.

Bayern’s enormous record at the Allianz Arena

In the recent past, the team that has given Barcelona their worst champions league nights is Bayern Munich. The Catalan club have not defeated them since their 3-0 win at Camp Nou. The Catalans were also winless at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League. In fact, Bayern’s last loss in their home stadium came against Manchester City back in 2013

With such a record, Barcelona dominated the first half and played great football. However, Bayern once again showed, how tough it is to snatch a win from Allianz Arena.

Barcelona faced a ten minutes spell of Bayern, conceded two goals, and then could never make a comeback. With this win, Bayern now have won 36 out of their last 38 matches at home. They have also won a staggering nine out of their last twelve matches against Barcelona.

Bayern’s win have now made them the table leaders in Group C.