Man City will face Real Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League after a 4-1 aggregate win over Bayern Munich. Inexplicably, Haaland smacked his penalty over the crossbar, his first miss from 12 yards in two years and his first penalty failure for City. City’s goal machine didn’t waste any time in putting that disappointment behind him, capitalizing on a Upamecano error to top off a lightning-fast counter-attack that saw Kevin De Bruyne pick up yet another assist. Bayern dragged Ederson into a number of fine saves, but despite the need for a flurry of goals, the Brazilian was not put under a bombardment of pressure. He was eventually defeated by Kimmich’s penalty, which was awarded after Manuel Akanji was penalized for point-blank range handball. Find the Player Ratings below.
Bayern Munich player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Yann Sommer – 6/10 – Apart from taking the ball out of his net, he didn’t have much to do in Bayern’s goal.
RB: Benjamin Pavard – 6/10 – He was unable to have the desired impact on the game in the last third.
CB: Dayot Upamecano – 4/10 – Another bad night for the Frenchman, who gave up a penalty for handball before tripping over to give Haaland a clean run at Sommer.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt – 6/10 – On the ball, he was cool and composed, but the tie was lost after the first leg.
LB: Joao Cancelo – 6/10 – Crunched Bernardo Silva’s foot early in the game in a hilarious teammate-on-former-colleague moment. On occasion, he displayed exceptional skill.
DM: Joshua Kimmich – 8/10 – Bayern’s midfielder was everywhere and converted his penalty with predictable efficiency.
DM: Leon Goretzka – 6/10 – Running galore in the midfield, but to little use in the end.
RM: Kingsley Coman – 8/10 – Every time he got the ball, he appeared to be capable of making things happen. With efforts like this, it’s easy to see why Coman has had such a strong statistical season.
AM: Jamal Musiala – 7/10 – His passes were perfectly weighted throughout, and he was a serious menace. For such a young athlete, he exudes class.
LM: Leroy Sane – 6/10 – Things could have been quite different if Sane had converted his first-half chance. He didn’t, and the comeback fell through.
CF: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – 6/10 – Offered Bayern more of a focal point up front, but was never given a clear-cut chance in front of goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Alphonso Davies (63′ for Cancelo) – 7/10 – By the time Davies entered the scene, the tie had been broken. Did a good job.
SUB: Sadio Mane (63′ for Sane) – 6/10 – Is he not felling trees in Munich? Tuchel used his comedy potential to bring him on for Sane.
SUB: Mathys Tel (72′ for Choupo-Moting) – N/A
SUB: Thomas Muller (72′ for Musiala) – N/A
SUB: Josep Stanisic (77′ for Pavard) – N/A
Subs not used: Ulreich (GK), Sarr, Mazraoui, Blind, Gravenberch, Gnabry, Ibrahimovic
Manager
Thomas Tuchel – 6/10 – For most of the night, he was spewing feathers on the sidelines, enraged by refereeing decisions that went against his team. Sent off late in the game, apparently irritated at Sane’s early miss.
Man City player ratings (3-2-4-1)
GK: Ederson – 8/10 – I didn’t have to make any spectacular saves, but I did have to be aware of a few instances. Excellent outing.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – Coman and Sane’s fast pace was well matched.
CB: Ruben Dias – 8/10 – On a night when he needed to be strong, one of City’s top players delivered a strong performance.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10 – City’s title bid was jeopardized late in the game when Ake left with an apparent hamstring strain.
DM: John Stones – 7/10 – With ease, switched between playing defensive midfield and center-back.
DM: Rodri – 7/10 – Not being put under a lot of pressure. The Spaniard put in quite a good performance.
RM: Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – Has amazing feet in confined spaces. At times, it’s a joy to see.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10 – At the end of the first half, he got a little physical with international teammate Kimmich, something fans love to watch.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10 – Another assist for the Belgian on a fantastic night for the Citizens.
LM: Jack Grealish – 8/10 – Grealish looks like the real deal in every game he plays after a season of finding his feet in City colors.
ST: Erling Haaland – 7/10 – He inexplicably missed his penalty but made amends within 20 minutes. Obviously.
Substitutes
SUB: Aymeric Laporte (67′ for Ake) – 6/10 – I was booked late for a rough tackle and was caught a bit narrow at times.
SUB: Julian Alvarez (84′ for Haaland) – N/A
SUB: Kyle Walker (88′ for De Bruyne) – N/A
Subs not used: Ortega (GK), Carson (GK), Lewis, Gomez, Phillips, Perrone, Foden, Palmer, Mahrez
Manager
Pep Guardiola – 7/10 – It paid dividends without complicating issues by modifying a winning formula. It will be intriguing to observe how the Spaniard approaches the challenge of Real Madrid.
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