Olympique Lyon 0-3 Bayern Munich: 5 Talking Points as Bavarians romp to the UCL final | Champions League 2019-20 

Bayern Munich rampaged through the UEFA Champions League semi-finals
Bayern Munich rampaged through the UEFA Champions League semi-finals

#3 Lyon's missed chances cost them dearly

Memphis Depay beats Manuel Neuer, fails to put Lyon ahead
Memphis Depay beats Manuel Neuer, fails to put Lyon ahead

As demonstrated by Gnabry's stellar strike, there is no substitute for quality in the Champions League.

While Bayern grew into the game with the opening goal and doubled their lead through the same scorer, Lyon must've been kicking themselves at half-time for not having been the first team to score.

Depay's chance early on in the game went begging, whereas Maxwell Cornet, when in space inside the box, struggled to fine-tune his final ball on a couple of occasions.

Ekambi should have scored as well, and these missed opportunities stung Lyon when Gnabry netted only moments later. The two goals not only took the game away from the French giants, but also allowed Bayern Munich to grow into the fixture and keep the ball for a little longer.

Lyon had a chance off a corner through Depay's header, and another where Ekambi missed a one versus one against Neuer after Niklas Sule's clearance rebounded kindly to Cornet.

Given that they significantly had lesser portions of possession and chances, Lyon really should have taken the game to the opposition with early goals.


#4 Thiago-Goretzka pairing takes control as Bayern sail through

Leon Goretzka outplayed Lyon with his intelligence and defensive stability
Leon Goretzka outplayed Lyon with his intelligence and defensive stability

While there were a fair share of chances for either side in the second half that made the game more end-to-end, the brilliant partnership of Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka enabled Bayern to hold on to the lead.

Firstly, it's essential to speak of the fluidity they add to the attack. Both of them operated close to each other, and while one sprayed passes from deep, the other stood in between the lines and facilitated play.

Their collective involvement with and without the ball is what makes the German champions one of the most hard-working and dominant teams in Europe.

They were truly brilliant with the ball, but it was the rate and success of recovery that frustrated Lyon. Thiago's aggressive pressing, ability to draw fouls and keep hold of the ball was only complemented by Goretzka's challenges and physicality.

Together, they plotted a masterclass in the middle.


#5 Hansi Flick's in-game management was stupendous

It's not just the relentless attacking that makes Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich the team they are
It's not just the relentless attacking that makes Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich the team they are

28 wins out of their last 29 matches, another commanding UCL knockout victory and a real sense of belief is what Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich are all about.

They have been simply relentless since the turn of the year, but that's not all. Tearing opposition defences apart is not everything they do.

The shift in tactics, coupled with the dynamism with which they win games is frightening, to say the least. One could say Bayern Munich had to do a lot of last-ditch defending in this game, but they took their chances as they came.

Not to mention, they controlled the ball for the best part of the game as highlighted by their possession statistic (65%), and then sat deep later on when Lyon tried to wrestle their way back into the contest.

That allowed the defenders to stick to their positions, remain protected by the midfield and see the game out with a clean sheet.

After soaking in the pressure and inviting Garcia's troops to carve through, Bayern Munich themselves turned comfortable into comprehensive with a complimentary goal for Robert Lewandowski. He has now scored an astonishing 55 goals this campaign.


Also read: RB Leipzig 0-3 PSG: Player Ratings as PSG reach maiden Champions League final | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

Quick Links

Edited by Sai Teja
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications