Bayern Munich 4-2 Juventus : Five Talking Points

Two goals in extra-time helped Bayern Munich come from 2-0 down to beat Juventus 4-2 at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday and advance to the quarter-finals 6-4 on aggregate.Starting the second leg at 2-2 and having conceded two away goals, Juventus got off to the perfect start in the first half as Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado scored to give them a 4-2 aggregate lead.But goals from Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller forced extra-time and in the 30 extra minutes, goals from substitutes Thiago Alcantara and Kingsley Coman ensured Pep Guardiola’s side progressed safely to the quarter-finals.Here are the major talking points from the game:

#1 Dj vu all over again

Bayern had the last laugh

This was a game of two halves is a cliche that is dotted out far too often in football but anyone who followed both legs of the encounter between the reigning German and Italian champions will tell you that both legs followed the exact same pattern until extra-time in the second leg.

If the first leg was all about Bayern taking a 2-0 lead in the first and Juventus only realizing they could attack and scoring two goals in the second half, the second leg was one where Juventus scored twice in the first half and in the second half, Bayern finally realized that despite all the possession getting crosses in would lead to goals and then proceeded to score two to take the game to extra-time.

Although extra-time didn’t follow the pattern, it was interesting to note how 180 minutes of football between two world-class teams be so utterly predictable.

#2 Substitutions make all the difference for Juventus

Allegri’s substitutions cost Juventus the game

The substitutions of Sami Khedira and Alvaro Morata in the space of a few minutes had a huge impact on the game. Without Morata, who probably wasn’t at 100%, Juventus didn’t have someone who could beat people and be useful on the break. Instead, they had a target man, who didn’t go an especially great job of holding up the ball and bringing his teammates into play as he had too many players around him all the time.

And just before the end of normal time, Max Allegri also brought off Juan Cuadrado, who had been having one of his finest games in a Bianconeri shirt and brought on Roberto Pereyra. Although the latter had no part to play in the Bayern equaliser, he wasn't much of a threat in extra-time.

While it is true that injuries had already forced Allegri to makes changes he wouldn't have otherwise made, before the start of the game, his decision to take off his two best attackers and the person providing control in the centre of the park seemed very counter-intuitive.

#3 Bayern get out of jail

Guardiola’s side survived a huge scare

Such was Bayern Munich’s dominance in the first half of the away leg in Turin that they should have, then and there, put the game well beyond Juventus’ reach. They didn’t and not only did they allow Juventus back into the game in the first leg, some slack defending and lackadaisical goalkeeping ensured Juventus took a 2-0 lead in the second leg.

Against a side that hadn’t conceded a goal in over two months in the league, scoring at least two seemed like an improbable task, even for a team who had won their last nine European home games by an aggregate score of 36-4.

But as they have done so often this season, their strike partnership of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller dug them out of the whole that Bayern had dug for themselves. And Alcantara and Coman provided the final flourish late in the game when Juventus were tiring and didn’t really look in any mood to attack.

They might have got out of jail this time, but if Bayern continue to be this complacent or profligate with their finishing then they are unlikely to end Pep Guardiola’s final season with a UEFA Champions League crown.

#4 Tale of two different No.9s

Morata’s removal changed the complexion of the game

Despite Luis Suarez’s sublime goal for Barcelona against Arsenal, it was in Germany that there was an intriguing battle between two of the best No.9s in Europe that was taking place. It was Robert Lewandowski against Alvaro Morata, two very different strikers, who only one thing in common, score goals.

As long as Morata was on the pitch, it was the Spaniard who was the better of the two as he lead the line expertly for the visitors. He was crucial in forcing the error that led to the first Juve goal and it was he, who scored a perfectly valid chip that was ruled out for off-side and it was the 23-year-old’s amazing run of about 40 yards, beating four Bayern defenders that set up Cuadrado for the second.

While he was perhaps slightly unlucky to be taken off, it was his substitution coupled with Bayern’s sudden realization that crosses could lead to goals that changed the game. The Polish striker, who played off the left flank early in the second half came back to the centre and scored the goal that brought Bayern back in with a chance before Muller and the substitutes sealed the game.

#5 Coman continues to impress

Coman tied the Juventus defenders in knots

Kingsley Coman may only be 19, it is a sign of how highly regarded the young French forward is that he has already played for the reigning French champions Paris Saint-Germain, reigning Italian champions Juventus and reigning German champions, Bayern Munich.

On loan from Juventus to Bayern, it was Coman who did all the damage against his parent club. Coman’s introduction at the hour mark for the largely ineffective Xabi Alonso provided the hosts with a bit of pace and dynamism on the flanks that they didn’t make the most of in the first half.

The Frenchman’s introduction not only gave the Juventus defenders a torrid time but also improved Douglas Costa’s game as the pair provided plenty of dangerous balls into the box, two of which were scored from in normal time.

After an assist for Muller’s tie-equalling goal in stoppage time, Coman showed that he can also finish as he carried the ball from 10 yards inside his own half into the Juventus penalty area before curling a delightful left-footed shot past Gianluigi Buffon to show that his three assists in the 5-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen at the weekend was no fluke and that he has plenty to offer Bayern.