Shirt swap: Ferran Torres
When can we still present an award to Robert Lewandowski? Unfortunately, now will not be the time to do so either. Lewy made some flashy plays but couldn’t muster the attack on his own and faded into anonymity for large swaths of the action. He will finally be replaced in the 80th minute by a white flag waved by coach Xavi Hernández.
Barca just looked flat, and in a way, that’s understandable – they had only just learned of their Champions League exit through Inter Milan, after all. But one player who showed well was Ferran Torres. The second-half substitute was pure energy after coming on and a serious struggle to deal with.
In the end, he was too isolated – trying to do it all on his own and just getting cut off, or ending up on the wrong page as a teammate, despite the Oh and ah he would shoot from the crowd. Barca’s day story, really.
The Kaiser: Matthijs de Ligt
Really good performance from all of Bayern Munich. Dayot Upamecano, De Ligt’s centre-back, made his share of exceptional interventions. Both centre-backs also received yellow cards – but when it came time to bring in Benjamin Pavard, Julian Nagelsmann picked Upamecano to make way.
De Ligt’s combination of physical stature and defensive us has been key to Bayern’s ability to handle Barcelona’s ultra-talented forwards – albeit scrappy. His perfect tackle on Lewandowski was so good that he was penalized first. In the second half, he stopped Ferran Torres from sneaking past Sven Ulreich and then blocked a potentially dangerous long-range shot to keep the Catalans goalless.
It’s no wonder Bayern made him an €80m defender in the summer transfer window, buying him from Juventus. Bayern’s backline appears to be in good hands.
Fussballgott: Joshua Kimmich
The Bayern metronome as usual. Kimmich set the tone for Bayern as they more or less rode to victory, getting it right from the center of the park – and throwing some of those fine, fine balls over the top that he practically patented. He was also in a crucial position to intercept various Barca attempts to create.
Bayern fans almost take Kimmich’s extremely consistent qualities for granted at times. But what a rock he is for this team.
The bomber: Sadio Mané
Redemption season for the Senegalese striker and second in the Ballon d’Or ballot! Mané kicked off Bayern with intention and style, timing a run over the shoulder of Héctor Bellerín to perfection. He still had a lot of work to do to land a composed finish beyond the reach of Marc-André ter Stegen. The early advantage helped Bayern break Barca’s already weakened morale.
Also a pressing monster, Mané was everywhere on the pitch for the Bavarians. Resolute tackles, incisive passes, fearsome goal threat. After a game off, Mané is back to show how valuable his presence is and he was full of energy from start to finish.
Of course we have to shout Sir Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as well. Its finish is really something. And that 55th-minute stream for Alphonso Davies – maybe Le Choup is a No.10 after all?
Master of the match: Serge Gnabry
What an inspired selection it was on the right wing. Gnabry kept Kingsley Coman on the bench for tonight and quickly renewed his early-season partnership with Sadio Mané – although they were initially the two central strikers in Bayern’s 4-2-2-2, this time they have combined opposite wings. Gnabry also drifted inside, as he often does, showcasing all of his own talents in the playmaking role.
Gnabry ended up with Bayern’s two assists and nearly found Mané on the break for his hat-trick – a feat he eventually pulled off, quite accidentally, with the game’s final spot-kick (nothing, Benjamin Pavart). He should have had his own goal as well, but he was offside by a slim margin of his head (even despite his man bun). It was still a good effort.
Gnabry has had its ups and downs this season, and perhaps his place in Bayern’s attack was starting to look a bit uncertain. Today, on the big stage, he showed great class.
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