Neither team scored in the first half of the Bayern Munich Barcelona game with a handful of turnovers and chances. A costly Barcelona failed to take advantage of the first half, with Robert Lewandowski giving up some good opportunities before Pedri hit the post after the visitors were two goals behind. Despite a solid first 45 minutes, a familiar nightmare soon became Barcelona as Lucas Hernandez, and Leroy Sane gave Bayern Munich a quick double after the break. A ruthless 10-minute game helped Bayern Munich beat Barcelona at the Allianz Arena after half-time; goals from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane allowed Julian Naglesmann three points. Whatever Bayern boss Nagelsmann said at half-time worked: Bayern Munich took a two-goal lead in the 54th minute.
As Bayern Munich continued to make mistakes even with Manuel Neuer holding the ball between his legs, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane gave them momentum. The latter pulled Marcel Sabitzer for a shot that whistled over the riser. However, Barcelona was intermittently defeated after substitute Leon Goretzka, who replaced Sabitzer, forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen to block a fierce long-range shot.
The Barcelona manager acknowledged that the squad could not afford to waste opportunities at this level, even though he claimed that the outcome did not accurately reflect the entire game. Late in the first half, there was a contentious incident when Ousmane Dembele appeared to have been fouled by Alphonso Davies inside the Bayern area. The referee did not impose a penalty, and the VAR did not step in either. Barca got off to a great start under Xavi, trapping the Germans in their own half with constant pressure and creating numerous early scoring opportunities. In the 17th minute, Lewandowski hit a volley over the crossbar after Manuel Neuer denied Pedri’s effort. Four minutes later, the Pole, who has 344 goals for Bayern in 375 appearances, nearly scored once more, headed on to Neuer from close range.
After the forward went without a shot in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona, head coach Julian Nagelsmann claimed that Sadio Mane is still adjusting to the team’s style of play and needs to be a little more self-assured. Mane joined the Bundesliga team from Liverpool and has scored five goals, but he hasn’t scored in the past four games.
Liverpool overcame a loss to Napoli to defeat Ajax 2-1 thanks to a header from Joel Matip in the 89th minute. This was Jurgen Klopp’s team’s first European victory of the year. Due to the inadequate police resources in Scotland after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the Napoli vs Rangers match was postponed till Wednesday.
