Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen Review
Bayern Munich triumphed over Leverkusen for the first time since Xabi Alonso became the coach of Die Werkself, securing a solid 3-0 lead in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 matchup. Bayern took the lead within nine minutes, as Olise delivered a cross from the right that Harry Kane intercepted, allowing him to break his longest scoring drought with Bayern. However, Upamecano almost jeopardized the team’s efforts by carelessly giving the ball away to Frimpong, who was unable to capitalize on the opportunity and failed to score against Neuer.
Leverkusen then faced a barrage of attacks from Bayern. Musiala somehow hit the crossbar with a header from close range during a corner, while long-range shots from Coman and Kimmich had Matěj Kovář scrambling, even though they missed the target. Alonso must have felt relieved that his team reached halftime without the situation worsening, especially with tensions rising just before the break.
In the second half, Kimmich’s pass seemed to be heading straight to Kovář, but the Leverkusen goalkeeper misjudged it and dropped the ball at Musiala’s feet, allowing him an easy goal. Mukiele added to his team’s woes by receiving a second yellow card for stepping on Coman’s heel, and Edmond Tapsoba then conceded a penalty for bringing down Kane. The England striker got up and scored from the penalty spot, marking his 17th goal in the Champions League since moving to Bayern, more than any other player during that period.
Leverkusen had no choice but to defend in the closing moments to maintain a three-goal deficit, setting them up for a challenging task next week. The second leg is likely to present a different scenario, but Bayern holds a significant aggregate advantage and is on a 10-match unbeaten run. It was evident that several of Leverkusen’s issues stemmed from questionable player choices, but they can address this for the second leg, where they will need to at least match their 3-0 victory against Bayern at the BayArena from a year ago.
