[ad_1]
FC Bayern reached the knockout stages of the Champions League ahead of schedule. After a 3-1 (1-0) win over RB Salzburg, Munich can no longer be ousted from one of the top two places in Group A after four rounds. The pursuers Atlético de Madrid (0-0 against Lokomotiv Moscow) are seven points behind Bayern.
Against Salzburg, the game was open until the goal of Bayern star Robert Lewandowski (minute 42). After the break, the Munich team followed suit: a shot from Kingsley Coman drove Maximilian Wöber decisively to his own goal (52nd), before Leroy Sané rose (68th). Mergim Berisha scored the Austrians’ goal (73). For the defending champion, it was the fourth win in the group’s fourth game and the fifteenth in all seasons of the competition. Before the meeting, Diego Maradona, who died today, was remembered.
Bayern coach Hansi Flick had to improvise in terms of personnel: in addition to Joshua Kimmich, who will be absent until the end of the year, Alphonso Davies, Corentin Tolisso, Bouna Sarr and Niklas Süle were also missing. 20-year-old left-back Chris Richards made his premier class debut, sixth Marc Roca was allowed to start for the first time. Later in the game, right-back Benjamin Pavard had to be replaced. Bayern are certainly in the round of 16, but little by little they are running out of defensive players.
FC Bayern had a hard time against the compact players from Salzburg. Serge Gnabry had the first opportunity, his direct descent of 20 meters passed on the right (9th). But the guests had better chances: Berisha executed a failed cross pass from Alaba, which failed in a duel with Manuel Neuer; also Enock Mwepu, who could not take advantage of the ten-meter margin (16.). Just seconds later, Berisha, pressured by Alaba, strode to the flank by the door. This was preceded by a bad pass from Bayern’s Leon Goretzka.
Suddenly outnumbered
35 minutes had elapsed as Salzburg raced down the left, leaving Jérôme Boateng to leave the center and RB striker Dominik Szoboszlai was able to play freely against Neuer. The 20-year-old forward shot the ball high over the goal and missed the biggest opportunity of the first half. Not so for Bayern: RB goalkeeper Cican Stankovic let Müller’s shot bounce back, so Lewandowski’s goal was easy (43.).
The second half was fast. Coman dribbled from the left inward, Wöber faking the shot that aimed at the far angle at his own goal (52º). After a foul in the center of the field, Roca, who had already been warned, saw yellow-red. Although Bayern was ten, they managed another goal. Coman’s flank headed Sané in the far right corner (68). As a result, Neuer held from an acute angle from the margin of Berisha and Mwepu (70º), a little later Berisha found himself behind a cross from Rasmus Kristensen (73º).
