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Bayern Munich’s Jérôme Boateng undoes Manchester City at the last Bayern Munich’s Jérôme Boateng undoes Manchester City at the last
(about 1 hour later)
For Manchester City it was a brutal way to lose. They had subdued Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola was so exasperated he had left his technical area and was straying dangerously close to encroaching on to the pitch. But then the clock ticked into the 90th minute and the ball was at the feet of City’s former player, Jérôme Boateng, with just about every outfield player inside the penalty area. For Manchester City, it was a wretched way to lose and a lesson, perhaps, about just how brutal football can be at this level. They had subdued Bayern Munich until the moment the clock ticked over into its 90th minute, and Pep Guardiola was so exasperated he had left his technical area and was straying dangerously close to encroaching on to the pitch. Bayern had done little to discredit the theory that they have regressed since Guardiola inherited that brilliant team from Jupp Heynckes, but they still have great qualities of perseverance, and eventually it proved to be enough.
Moments earlier Boateng had lashed in a shot that had Joe Hart sprawling full-length to keep the game goalless. City’s goalkeeper had played with distinction, particularly in the first half when he appeared to have a magnetic attraction to the ball. Yet City were culpable in those final exchanges of defending too deeply and Boateng made them pay with a slashing right-foot volley that took a slight deflection off Mario Götze and arrowed diagonally into the far corner. The goal arrived from the right foot of Jérôme Boateng, a former City player who is hardly renowned for his habit of volleying in last-minute winners. Maybe in those moments, City had been guilty of dropping too far back and inviting trouble. A few minutes earlier, Boateng had lashed in a shot that had Joe Hart sprawling full-length to keep the ball out and when he had his next chance he took it stylishly, arrowing his shot diagonally through a crowded penalty area and inside the far post. Around him, the players in blue fell to their knees.
Bayern had created the best chances but it was another night when it seemed as if Guardiola’s side have gone backwards rather than forwards since he inherited the team from Jupp Heynckes that made one wonder if they were going to take over from Barcelona as the most brilliantly assembled side of the modern era. Hart had played with distinction and, on the balance of play, Bayern certainly created enough chances to feel the late drama would not have been necessary but for the opposition goalkeeper. Yet City had been troubled only sporadically after the break. This was not the free-flowing, all-conquering Bayern that has menaced them before and Manuel Pellegrini was entitled to be aggrieved that his side had been denied a penalty a few minutes before the goal for Mehdi Benatia’s challenge on David Silva.
This was certainly a good time to face Bayern, with Franck Ribéry among those on extensive injury list and Arjen Robben restricted to a place on the bench. By that stage, Bayern had started to look short of ideas and the substitute Arjen Robben had resorted to his old trick of trying to manufacture a nonexistent penalty. Thomas Müller was prominently involved in the first half, almost scoring inside the opening minute, and Hart had played as well as any time over the previous year in that period. He could not keep it up after the interval, missing a couple of crosses, but he seemed to have a magnetic attraction to the ball inside the opening 45 minutes.
So much of their play is based on that pair’s ability to menace on the wings and pin back opponents, so it was bound to alter the way Guardiola’s side were set out. Yet Bayern still had Thomas Müller and Götze playing alongside Robert Lewandowski and the two wide players quickly showed their qualities. Yet Pellegrini’s side had started to put together some neat passing moves of their own before the interval and they played with a measure of control for long spells after the break. What they lacked was real penetration.
Muller’s ability to find space in dangerous areas was a prominent feature during those early periods of Bayern pressure. His first chance arrived within 40 seconds and it was only a slight stumble as he went past Hart that meant he turned the ball into the side-netting rather than the exposed goal. Müller was essentially playing as a right-wing but his elusiveness has always been one of his great assets and it needed one of Hart’s saves to keep him out from another central position later in the first half. Their wide players, Jesús Navas and Samir Nasri, seldom threatened to get behind the home defence and Pellegrini had started with Sergio Agüero on the bench, preferring the greater physical presence of Edin Dzeko, in part to keep the Argentine back for Sunday’s game against Chelsea. Dzeko ran hard, but City always tend to look more dangerous when Agüero is operating through the middle, and they ought to be disappointed that they could not do more to trouble Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal. It was rare to see them playing with so little dynamism going forward and, ultimately, the balance was not right between defence and attack.
Götze put another chance wide and Hart was quickly down to his right when David Alaba had a chance to take aim just after the half-hour. By the hour, though, Bayern were starting to look frustrated and unusually careless. Neuer could be seen at one point playing a poor ball from his goalmouth to Benatia, who could only knock it out for a corner. Müller skewed one cross straight out for a goal-kick, and Guardiola, of all people, will not want to see a replay of when the ball came to him by the dugout and he tried to knock it back for Juan Bernat to take a throw-in. His pass sent it over Bayern’s left-back and another ball had to be fetched.
Lewandowski hit the same part of the side-netting as Müller after trying to go round City’s goalkeeper and Guardiola was certainly entitled to reflect that on the balance of play it was only Hart who had managed to keep them out before half-time. Guardiola looked mortified, rubbing his head with both hands. These were all small moments to encourage City.
Yet it was not the swaggering, all-conquering Bayern that City have encountered before and Pellegrini’s side had cautiously started to put together some neat passing moves of their own before the interval. What they lacked was real penetration. They had started to look relatively comfortable by that point, with Fernandinho doing a fine job to shield their defence and Bacary Sagna deputising well at right-back for the suspended Pablo Zabaleta. Silva relishes these big occasions and almost scored with a diving header just after the hour. Not for the first time, however, Yaya Touré left the impression he is some way short of last season’s form. He was overrun and there was one slip when he lumbered to his feet, then made no attempt at all to get back to help his defence. Touré is a player of such distinction that it stands out when he is not playing well and it has become a recurring theme so far this season.
Their wide players, Jesús Navas and Samir Nasri, seldom threatened to get behind the home defence and for long spells Manuel Neuer was largely inactive, certainly in comparison with the goalkeeper at the other end. Pellegrini had started with Sergio Agüero on the bench, preferring the greater physical presence of Edin Dzeko, and the Bosnian looked alert and eager to be on the ball. City, however, always tend to look a more dangerous team when Agüero is operating through the middle. In theory, this was meant to be good time to face Bayern, with Franck Ribéry and Bastian Schweinsteiger among an extensive injury list and Robben restricted to a place on the bench. Yet City managed only two shots on target. They have kept only three clean sheets in 21 Champions League fixtures and Agüero, outpacing the Bayern substitute Dante, could not rescue them after Boateng’s sobering strike.
Yet there were signs early in the second half that Bayern were starting to become frustrated and unusually careless. Neuer could be seen playing a poor ball from his goalmouth to Medhi Benatia, who could only knock it out for a corner. Müller skewed one cross straight out for a goal-kick and Guardiola, of all people, will not want to see a replay of that moment when the ball came to him in the dugout and he tried to knock it back for Juan Bernat to take a throw-in. His pass sent it over Bayern’s left-back and another ball had to be fetched. Guardiola looked mortified, rubbing his head with both hands.
City had started to look a little more compact by that point, with Fernandinho doing a fine job to shield their defence and Bacary Sagna deputising well for the suspended Pablo Zabaleta. David Silva relishes these big occasions and almost scored with a diving header just after the hour. Not for the first time this season, however, Yaya Touré left the impression he is some way short of last season’s form.
Agüero and Robben were both brought on in the closing stages and the Bayern man quickly set about showing his worst traits, with one of those exaggerated falls that have become just as much his trademark as those brilliant surges from the wing. Silva thought he might have won a penalty before Boateng’s late, decisive act and there was still time for Agüero to have a chance to equalise. He could not take it.