Thanks to its thick three-goal lead after the first leg (3-0), Manchester City qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League, after a draw against Bayen Munich (1-1 ) Wednesday evening, during the quarter-final second leg. For a ticket to the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul where the C1 final will take place on June 10, Manchester City will find Real Madrid, defending champions, on their way for a duel between two of the best center forwards in the world, Manchester’s Norwegian Erling Haaland and Madrid’s Frenchman Karim Benzema.
On the bench also will take place a duel of giants between the Real of the Italian Carlo Ancelotti (quadruple winner of the C1) and the City of the Spaniard Pep Guardiola (double winner of the Champions League). A final before time, with the advantage for the Citizens of hosting the return match in mid-May at their Etihad Stadium. It will be a revenge for the spectacular semi-final of the queen competition of European football won last year by the Madrilenians carried by Benzema, after an extension to the return match in Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Lack of realism
Wednesday evening, in wet weather (it rained all afternoon in the Bavarian capital) and cold (mercury approaching 5 degrees), Guardiola did not change a formula that worked well eight days earlier in England by fielding the same starting XI. Dominated, Ilkay Gündogan’s teammates took advantage of Bayern’s lack of realism, a recurring problem lately in Munich.
Two occasions perfectly illustrated this observation in the first period: a duel missed by Leroy Sané, yet ideally launched by Jamal Musiala, against Ederson (17th), and a counter initiated by Kingsley Coman in added time, with a slip by Musiala which allowed the City defense to replace itself (45th + 2).
Kimmich saves honor
Alternating between the right side and the left side, Coman has been the most dangerous Munich attacking player for the Manchester defense. Jostled, the Citizens could have returned to the locker room with peace of mind with a one-goal advantage, if Haaland had not completely missed a penalty in the 37th minute, generously awarded for an elbow from Dayot Upamecano which slightly grazed the ball , after defending almost the entire occasion with his hands behind his back.
Finally, it was after a new big Munich action once again brought by Coman in the 57th minute, that City took shelter on a clinical counter thanks to the indestructible Haaland. At the start and at the conclusion of the action with Kevin De Bruyne, Halland, helped by the slippage of Dayot Upamecano on the greasy lawn of the Allianz Arena, did not miss another opportunity to register his 12th goal of the competition, to kill all suspense and lower the atmosphere in the stadium by several tones.
honor saved
Joshua Kimmich’s equalizer, which converted a penalty awarded for a Manuel Akanji handball in the 83rd minute, only allowed Bayern to save the honor. Arrived on the Manchester City bench in the summer of 2016, Pep Guardiola climbed for the third consecutive season in the last four of the Champions League, which he had already achieved with Bayern Munich during his three-season stint. in Bavaria from summer 2013 to spring 2016.
After a final lost in 2021 against Chelsea, Guardiola can still dream of a third coronation in the Champions League after those of spring 2009 and 2011 with FC Barcelona.