Fight with pride until the end”, read a banner displayed in the background where the most fervent fans of Bayern are accommodated. Forced to come back from the three goals that Manchester City endorsed him in the first leg, the duel measured the heraldry and the epic of a club that has written part of its legend on nights of impossible matches. City survived the volcanic game proposed by Tuchel. The resistance does not usually combine with Guardiola’s teams, accustomed to spreading expansive football rather than shrinking. Last night he was forced by the momentum of Bayern. He came out with a draw at one from the boiler that was the Allianz Arena and was able to raise his hand to meet the champion in the semifinals with Haaland in the lead. The Norwegian gave Bayern life by missing a penalty midway through the first act, but then imposed silence in the second with the goal that buried any chance that the willful Bayern would create another page to fatten their mystique. Again there will be a Real Madrid-Manchester City under the memory of the clash last year. Once again, an anticipated final between the two clubs, established as the heroes of European football.
1
Sommer, Cancelo (Alphonso Davies, min. 63), Dayotchanculle Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard (Josip Stanisic, min. 77), Matthijs de Ligt, Jamal Musiala (Müller, min. 71), Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman, Joshua Kimmich, Sane (Mane, min. 63) and Choupo-Moting (Mathys Tel, min. 71)
1
Ederson Moraes, Aké (Laporte, min. 66), Rúben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Rodrigo, Gündogan, De Bruyne (Walker, min. 88), John Stones, Erling Braut Haaland (Julián Álvarez, min. 84), Grealish and Bernardo Silva
goals 0-1 min. 57: Erling Braut Haaland. 1-1 min. 83: Joshua Kimmitch.
Referee Clement Turpin
Yellow cards Cancelo (min. 11), Dayotchanculle Upamecano (min. 34), Ederson Moraes (min. 44), Gündogan (min. 46), Aké (min. 53), Ulreich (min. 54), Benjamin Pavard (min. 60 ), Tuchel (min. 83), Laporte (min. 85) and Josip Stanisic (min. 87)
The stands inflamed, the long ball with which Bayern started defined the type of game they wanted. It was about getting to the Ederson area as soon as possible. From the sides or trying to take advantage of the agonizing pressure with which he tried to make his rival bend his knee. Each cross to the pot by Coman or Sané or each corner kick was a reason for an explosion in the stands. Bayern had that initial goal they were looking for when a loss by Ruben Días in a drive caused Cancelo to start running into the open field. Quoted somewhat heeled with Sommer, his cross dive was off by a couple of feet.
City was not comfortable. Musiala’s pursuit of Rodrigo detracted from a clean outing of the ball. Guardiola repeated the Etihad eleven, with Akanji and Aké disguised as false full-backs and Stones as Rodrigo’s assistant. Above, the stony Haaland as the only reference. It is strange to see a Guardiola team play with a nine islet, waiting for a long ball to act as a hairdresser or to attack long spaces. It is not that City shied away from going to look for Bayern in their area, but the intensity of his withdrawal was immediate as soon as they surpassed a line. However, he found a gap that De Bruyne discovered to Haaland. A filtered pass for the Norwegian to show stride against Upamecano. The Frenchman swiped the ball at the crossroads and knocked him down. The referee showed him a red card that seemed definitive, but the VAR picked it up. There was party. As it continued to be after Upamecano continued his disastrous role in the tie by intercepting a Grealish shot with his elbow. The action was strange because he first hid his limbs behind the body and when he went to cover the English end he opened them. Haaland went to the penalty spot to show that he has human traits. The strong blow from him to burst the net went high. It was the first penalty he had missed in the last sixteen he had taken. Apparently, his coldness hides some small crack through which the pressure flows and penetrates. The mistake revived Bayern. It was one of those favorable failures to continue generating the breeding ground for the feat. He was reborn and the Munich Coliseum ignited again.
hope at rest
The tie at half-time maintained the feeling that a Bayern goal could be the start of a historic night. Upamecano aborted it in a play that x-rayed this Manchester City that also defends itself with other football. Ederson threw a long ball to Haaland and he brought it down to De Bruyne. The Belgian threw him to measure himself with the French in the front of the area. Upamecano slipped and the Norwegian took the opportunity to sit him down. Facing Sommer this time his shins did not tremble. He finished it off with an accurate shot at mid-height.
Bayern’s feisty efforts were rewarded with Kimmich’s equalizer. A penalty decreed by the VAR with just ten minutes to go. A minimal consolation for a team that missed a pure scorer. A fundamental element in the story of his legend that he does not have now.
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