Bayern Munich took control of their Champions League quarter final tie against Sevilla with an impressive turnaround to secure a 2-1 victory at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Tuesday evening.
A Jesús Navas own goal and a header from Thiago cancelled out Pablo Sarabia’s first half strike for the hosts, who can curse some harsh luck having performed well on the night.
Here are four talking points from a very efficient job by the German champions.
Bad luck for Sevilla gifts Bayern away goals and the advantage
Sevilla showed they have quality and took the game to Bayern in the first half, pressing their midfield trio with every opportunity. Javi Martinez and Arturo Vidal were particularly susceptible to mistakes, allowing the wasteful Franco Vazquez to pick the ball up in space in front of the defence, who were constantly left exposed. Jupp Heynckes was cutting a frustrated figure on the touchline throughout, and for good reason; the 72-year-old interim coach, who won the treble in his last spell in Bavaria, was on an 11-game winning run in the Champions League coming into the match, but his side didn’t look like stretching that run before the break.
They did restore parity before the half time whistle went, and with the kind of luck that champions need. Franck Ribéry had his pass deflected into the net by Jesús Navas, who was playing well at right back until that point. Sevlla continued to press forward, but that piece of sheer misfortune gave the visitors a crucial away goal and means they cannot play with the same level of freedom at the Allianz Arena as they did against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Thiago then added a second with a header from Ribéry’s cross, but again there was an unlucky deflection in the build up.
Pablo Sarabia had two bites of the cherry – but found the net eventually
Much of the pre-game billing of this game suggested that Bayern would succeed where Manchester United failed. Sevilla are used to being written off in Europe, and this season is no different, but the Red Devils couldn’t score at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and that gave Vincenzo Montella’s side real initiative in the second leg. The hero that day, Wissam Ben Yedder, started the game with the second best goalscoring record in the Champions League this season and the best conversion rate. Sevilla’s stars in the first half, though, were those kept quiet for much of the last round; Joaquin Correa, Vazquez and the goalscorer Sarabia.
That trio were electric from the early stages; Sevilla fully deserved the lead when it arrived but should have taken it earlier. Sarabia had missed an open goal moments before converting Sergio Escudero’s pinpoint cross, but he made up for it in good time, lashing the ball home under a cloud of possible handball. Vazquez was lively, but failed to release the ball on a couple of crucial occasions having breached Bayern’s midfield trio of Martinez, Thiago and Vidal, who was largely ineffectual before being forced off through injury.
Robert Lewandowski was unusually quiet but Bayern gradually gained control
Constant speculation over a player’s future can often play havoc with their form, but in the case of Robert Lewandowski, it has hardly distracted at all. The Pole, who can make a case for being the world’s best striker, has been linked with a huge summer move to Real Madrid, but he has still scored 35 goals in just 38 games this season, including a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over his former club Borussia Dortmund at the weekend.
But for all of their good play going forward, which did peter out as the game went on, Sevilla deserve huge credit for keeping Lewandowski quiet. No Bayern player really stood out individually, the control they showcased was more progressive over the 90 minutes as a team, but he was particularly absent on the night. It now looks as though the tide is dramatically against the LaLiga side anyway, but a repeat performance in the second leg from their defence will be fundamental if they are to complete an unlikely turnaround.
Bayern cannot be ruled out of contention overall
While Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City sit at the heart of this season’s Champions League discussion, Bayern have found themselves on the periphery somewhat. Heynckes, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked earlier in the season, is not expected to win another European crown, but they really could be a very good bet. The way they calmly took control of the game and the tie on Tuesday night, in the face of adversity against a decent and fully confident Sevilla side, bodes well for the rest of the campaign, should they avoid any major shocks next week.
For all of the home side’s huffing and puffing, from the moment they got back on times, their experience showed. Vazquez’s chance early after the break, which yielded a stunning last-ditch challenge from Javi Martinez, aside, there weren’t too many issues as the game went on. Their home form is monstrous, so another semi final appearance is very much on the cards.
