Bayern Munich 2-0 Juventus: Bavarians dominate quarter-final tie

Bayern Munich took a valuable two-nil lead in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Juventus at the Fussball Arena Munchen tonight.

Goals from David Alaba and Thomas Muller were just rewards for a very dominant performance from the hosts who rarely put a foot wrong throughout the game.

Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes had rested several key players in his team’s 9-2 rout of Hamburg. Franck Ribery and Mario Mandzukic were both recalled to the side. David Alaba, Dante, Daniel van Buyten and Philip Lahm lined up at the back ahead of Manuel Neuer. In midfield, Luis Gustavo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos were arrayed behind Ribery, Mandzukic and Thomas Muller.

Juventus boss Antonio Conte did not have such luxury, his team having beaten Inter Milan 2-1 last weekend, but that did not mean his team was lacking in quality. Gianluigi Buffon was shielded by a rearguard of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and the returning Giorgio Chiellini.

A five man midfield consisting of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and the wingback duo of Federico Peluso and Stephan Lichtsteiner. Ahead of them were Fabio Quagliarella and Alessandro Matri.

Fans in the Allianz Arena took their seats as the game began. They were off it barely a minute later.

With the first attack of the game, David Alaba drove forward and tried his luck from long range. The ball pinged off Vidal and beat Buffon to find the back of his net.

This was a game that was going to excite and entice in equal measure, and Bayern fans had every reason to be excited given the perfect start their team had gotten off to.

Andrea Pirlo fashioned Juve’s first chance in the 11th minute, his free kick skimming the top of Neuer’s crossbar.

Toni Kroos was hauled off for Robben with only fifteen minutes on the clock. He got into the game straight away, stinging Buffon’s fingertips from inside the box after pouncing on a poor Juve clearance.

In the 20th minute, Ribery’s drive was deflected narrowly wide.

The hosts could have made it 2-0 with a 22nd minute corner, but Dante’s header was wide of the target.

It was Bayern who were doing all the attacking, starving Juventus of the ball and creating half-chances galore. Half an hour in, the Italian team’s frustration was beginning to show. Vidal slid in horribly on Ribery, but with no injury to the Frenchman, the Chilean was not booked, much to the derision of the German fans. Schweinsteiger curled the resulting free-kick narrowly wide.

Given the way Bayern were playing, it was rather surprising they weren’t finding the back of the net more often. Muller scorched down the right flank and teed up Robben, who spooned his shot narrowly wide.

When Juve did receive the ball, they gave it up away too easily. Truth be told, they looked a far cry from the side that were sitting atop Serie A and had gone through last season unbeaten.

Robben tested Buffon once again in the 35th minute, but the Netherlands international’s sidefooted effort was directed straight at the Italian.

Vidal was being booed whenever he received the ball. Not because of his tackle on Ribery, but because of the five years he’d spent at Bayer Leverkusen before moving to Italy.

“Bayern Munich are slicing Juventus to ribbons here.

- Martin Tyler, Football Commentator

In the 37th minute, Juve were extremely lucky not to concede a penalty. Ribery danced past a couple of Juve players just outside a box and fired a low cross across a face of goal. Mandzukic was bundled over by the returning Chiellini but referee Mark Clattenburg did not point to the spot.

Three minutes later, Gustavo slammed into Lichtsteiner in an attempt to get the ball, but Pirlo’s resulting free kick bounced harmlessly wide.

Despite the minutes ticking away, it was still all Bayern. Ribery shrugged of Vidal effortlessly and tried to feed Mandzukic. The retreating Barzagli did well to shepherd the ball out of harm’s way.

With a couple of minutes remaining in the first half, Juventus finally began to enjoy a bit more possession. Vidal was clipped by Mandzukic just outside the Bayern box. Despite his protestations, the Croat was booked. Andrea Pirlo’s free kick was headed behind for a corner.

The Italian took it himself, and Bonucci’s header narrowly missed Neuer’s goal. Despite Bayern enjoying the vast majority of possession, Alaba’s goal was all that separated the two sides.

With two minutes of stoppage time being played out, dominant Bayern went into half time welcoming the second half, Juventus unsurprisingly relieved the first was over.

The hosts began the second half in the same vein as the first. Three minutes after the restart, Mandzukic got to the ball ahead of the Juve rearguard and fired goalwards, but his sharp strike was directed straight at Buffon.

Under the auspices of Allianz brass such as Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern’s attacks continued unabated as Juventus attempted to prise the ball off the German sides by more physical means. Much to the chagrin of boss Jupp Heynckes, no Juve fouls went unpunished. Au contraire, it was Mandzukic who had received a booking despite his side having committed fewer fouls than the visitors.

That changed in the 54th minute. Chiellini was booked as he attempted to win back the ball by clambering over the Croat. The resulting free kick from distance forced Buffon into a low, diving save as he parried the ball to safety.

Despite the abundance of possession made available to the Bavarians, the time interval between chances they could create was lengthening. Juventus, true to their Italian roots, were closing the German team down a lot more efficiently in the second half.

That being said, they were guilty of napping when it mattered most.

In the 63rd minute, Luis Gustavo let loose a stinging drive from twenty five yards and although Buffon did parry the ball, it fell straight to Mandzukic who squared for Muller to tap home into an empty net. They were suggestions of offside with relation to the number nine’s position, but that mattered little to Die Roten.

Two-nil Bayern, and Juventus boss Antonio Conte responded by making two substitutions, bringing on Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic for Quagliarella and Matri in an attempt to search for an away goal to give them something to take back for the return leg.

A game that Vidal will not play. Against a backdrop of ironic cheers, the Chilean was booked for handball.

He tried to make amends almost immediately afterwards. Vucinic threaded a ball through to Lichtsteiner, who teed up the midfielder. His first time effort stung the fingertips of Neuer who was also on hand to parry the defensive midfielder’s follow-up.

At the other end, Ribery forced Buffon into a similar save.

Juventus were now being afforded a little more time on the ball as they attempted to step their game up a gear or so. Nevertheless, Bayern continued to look dangerous when they had the ball. Conte introduced Paul Pogba in an attempt to inject a little more attacking verve.

Juventus thought they had a penalty in the 77th minute, as Lichtsteiner collided with Dante. But the Swiss international was booked for diving and will miss the second leg. Replays showed the referee was right.

Bayern were now more concerned with keeping possession and seeing out the game, meaning chances for the home side dwindled. That didn’t mean there weren’t chances though. In the 89th minute, Muller forced an excellent save from Buffon and the German fired his rebound over the bar.

So relaxed were Bayern that Heynckes was afforded the luxury of withdrawing his hardest working players on the night – Ribery and Mandzukic – to rapturous applause.

Only seconds after Xherdan Shaquiri replaced the Frenchman, Clattenburg blew for full time, being the first team to beat Juventus in the Champions League this season.

Now they just have to see out another frenetic ninety minutes in Turin two weeks from now.

Bayern Munich 2-0 Juventus

Alaba 1′, Muller 63′

Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Lineups:

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm (c), van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Luis Gustavo, Kroos (Robben 16′), Schweinsteiger; Ribery (Shaquiri 90′+3), Muller, Mandzukic (Gomez 90′+1)

Subs not Used: Starke, Boateng, Tymoshchuk, Pizzarro

Manager: Jupp Heynckes

Juventus: Buffon (c); Bonucci, Chiellini, Barzagli; Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Lichtsteiner, Peluso (Pogba 75′), Matri (Vucinic 65′), Quagliarella (Giovinco 65′)

Subs not Used: Storari, Asamoah, Padoin, Marrone

Manager: Antonio Conte

Statistics:

Bayern Munich: Shots (on goal): 21 (10), Saves: 7, Corners: 9, Offsides: 3, Yellow Cards: 2, Red Cards: 0, Fouls committed: 15, Fouls suffered: 15

Juventus: Shots (on goal): 7 (3), Saves: 2, Corners: 4, Offsides: 2, Yellow Cards: 3, Red Cards: 0, Fouls committed: 15, Fouls suffered: 15

Possession: Bayern Munich 55%-45% Juventus

Next Fixture:

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich, 06/04/2013, German Bundesliga

Juventus vs US Pescara, 06/04/2013, Italian Serie A