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Munich, Dec 11. An inspiring fightback from Manchester City saw the defending champions, Bayern Munich, slump to a 3-2 loss, their first defeat since Arsenal got the better of them way back in March. However, this result, just like the result in March, made no difference to Bayern’s campaign, since they topped Group D on goal difference.
Lineups:-
Bayern Munich:
Neuer, Dante, Boateng, Alaba, Lahm (c), Alcantara, Gotze, Muller, Kroos, Ribery, Mandzukic
Bayern’s coach Pep Guardiola was left bereft of the services of Schweinsteiger and Robben, but his team was certainly the strongest possible with the crop of players he had at his disposal. Lahm was shifted back to the full-back position after a brief outing in the midfield, and Thiago Alcantara was fielded as a defensive midfielder over record signing Javi Martinez. Mandzukic went back to his role as a striker, with Gotze playing in a more familiar Attacking Midfielder role. Thomas Muller was asked to play on the wings, but he was definitely Bayern’s best player on the pitch.
Manchester City:
Hart, Richards, Lescott, Demichelis, Kolarov (c), Milner, Dzeko, Garcia, Fernandinho, Silva, Jesus Navas
Manchester City’s coach Manuel Pellegrini fielded a very sub-par team against Bayern, choosing to save his best talents for the Premier League clash against Arsenal. The usual faces of Aguero and Negredo were absent from the pitch, but David Silva was allowed to play, despite having spent a long time before the game in convalescence. Their defence too seemed weaker than usual, with Vincent Kompany warming the benches.
First Half
After a tribute to the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, the game started, with Bayern’s armour looking impenetrable, and their attacks unstoppable. Franck Ribery looked lively on the pitch with runs along the left wing. A goal seemed only too likely, and as expected, a cross field pass found the self-proclaimed ‘Space Interpreter’, Thomas Muller, who made no mistake in netting past the hapless Joe Hart. Bayern Munich 1-0 Manchester City.
City never looked like they were going to score, with David Silva looking like the only bright spark on the pitch. Bayern’s defence seemed to be dealing very well with City’s feeble attacks, while City seemed to be under a lot of pressure, trying to cope with Bayern’s attacks. Dante looked like he was going to double Bayern’s lead, and had it not been for Joe Hart’s heroics, it would’ve been a certain goal.
A 12th minute corner from Kroos found Mandzukic, whose shot was blocked. But after the stray ball landed in Gotze’s path, he made no mistake in pulling in Bayern forward. Bayern Munich 2-0 Manchester City.
David Silva continued cutting past Bayern’s centre backs with ease, but the final touch seemed to be lacking. Milner had Manchester City’s only attempt at goal before the 20 minute mark, and that too was blocked by Manuel Neuer.
City continued to struggle, with Micah Richards pulling out due to injury. The Bayern forwards continued to have a field day, with numerous attempts at goal coming from Ribery and Kroos.
Zabaleta, who replaced Richards, handled Ribery in a much better manner, effectively neutralizing one of the 3 best footballers in the world. Bayern’s attack seemed to get fewer and less potent from the moment Zabaleta stepped on.
Manchester City and Bayern seemed to be trading blows after this moment, with Kroos and Fernandinho both missing their respective targets. Jesus Navas and James Milner appeared reinvigorated and started looking far more threatening than they were in the beginning.
It didn’t take long for City to pull Bayern back by 1, as Jesus Navas’s cross found James Milner, although Lahm should’ve done better in marking him, who promptly passed it to David Silva, who just had to tuck it into the net. Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester City.
Bayern’s centre backs, Dante and Boateng, looked much more uncomfortable after the first goal, and looked much more rash and prone to bookings. Dante’s clash with Jesus Navas was deemed too rough, and he was given the yellow card by the Spanish referee.
Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko looked like he was intent on revenge, and the referee booked him for his tackle on Dante. James Milner was also rash with his tackle on Thiago Alcantara, and eventually found his way to the books. After a series of fouls and half attempts, the referee called for the half time. Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester City.
Second Half
The second half got underway, with both teams looking evenly matched. Manchester City, however, had winds in their sails, while Bayern looked like they had switched off and sat back. The initial exchange of attempts yielded no goals, with both defences looking capable enough to deal with any threat.
In the 59th minute, Dante charged into James Milner, who went down after the giant Brazilian collided with him. Although it appeared to be bordering on the theatrical, a penalty was awarded to Manchester City. Alexander Kolarov made no mistake, and his left footed strike brought the two giants back on level terms. Bayern Munich 2-2 Manchester City.
The game had barely resumed before Jesus Navas’s cross found James Milner. Jerome Boateng’s attempt at clearing the ball went horribly wrong, and James Milner punished Bayern for that very mistake. Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City.
Following the lead, Bayern fought valiantly to equalize or win, bringing on Martinez and Shaqiri. City didn’t seem interested in scoring a 4th goal, which would have seen them top the group. Deciding to keep Aguero on the bench, Pellegrini brought on Rodwell and Negredo.
Bayern Munich definitely seemed like they were more likely to score, but Manchester’s defence stood firm, although Fernandinho found his way into the books. Dante and Boateng continued to mess up, but Manuel Neuer made sure that Bayern would be the one to top the group.
Attempts from Ribery, Shaqiri, Kroos and Muller are all either off-target or blocked by Joe Hart, and the referee blew the whistle 2 minutes after the hour and half mark. Manchester City halt Bayern’s 10 game winning streak emphatically, but remain second in Group D. Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City.
