Despite needing at least three unanswered goals to force extra time and 4 unreplied goals to win the tie and move into the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League ahead of Manchester City on aggregate, Bayern Munich could only create chances but could not finish them in the second leg of their quarter-final fixture on Wednesday at Allianz arena.
Thomas Tuchel’s side lost the first leg 3-0 in an uninspiring display which forced the former Chelsea manager to state that his team will need a miracle to qualify for the semifinal of the competition ahead of Manchester City.
Despite knowing the assignment, Bayern Munich lost several chances to get back into the game quickly and were almost made to pay for it after half an hour when defender Dayot Upamecano handled the ball in the box, which forced the referee to call for a penalty which was subsequently missed by Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian forward had not missed a penalty in two years before then, and his uncharacteristic miss would have given Bayern hope of getting something from the game, but Haaland would not be denied is 12th Champions League goal of the season which makes him the player who has the highest number of Champions League goals in a season for an English side.
Haaland silenced the crowd in the 57th minute to put the tie beyond Bayern Munich and 4-1 on aggregate. Thomas Tuchel was sent to the stands after two yellow cards, but his team still pulled a goal back from a Joshua Kimmich penalty with seven minutes left in the game.
The win means that Manchester City can still achieve a treble this season as they are four points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, still hunting for the FA Cup, where they will face Sheffield United this weekend and also still in the run for the UEFA Champions League where they will face Real Madrid in the semifinal.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu