Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard and Kingsley Coman were the symbols of a Bavarian team unable to meet expectations on Tuesday in the defeat against Manchester City (0-3), in the quarter-final first leg.
It’s an evening to quickly forget. The French Bayern Munich missed their match in the defeat on the lawn of Manchester City, Tuesday, April 11, in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League (0-3). Whether Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard or Kingsley Coman, the three Habs were either spectators or guilty during a catastrophic evening for the German champion.
Upamecano, the dumpling that is expensive
A little less than three years ago, during the Final 8 of the Champions League in Lisbon, Dayot Upamecano lit up the quarter-final between Leipzig, where he was playing at the time, and Atlético de Madrid. This time, the French defender completely missed his quarter. Yet in great shape in recent weeks, the new defense boss of the France team has been surprisingly feverish at the Etihad Stadium.
In the first half, if Erling Haaland did not exist, it is partly thanks to him. But after the break, the vice-world champion sank. The latter is at fault on the second goal of the Cityzens of Bernardo Silva (70th). On an innocuous ball on the raise, Upamecano got tangled up in his ball handling. Jack Grealish took advantage and the action ended on the head of the Portuguese from City.
Upamecano, yet so serene at the usual relaunch, had already shown a form of nervousness on returning from the locker room. The Habs caused panic in the Munich defense after a completely missed pass (50th). And to make matters worse for a performance that he will quickly have to forget, Upamecano was caught behind his back on City’s last goal scored by Haaland (77th).
halftone cobblestone
He was not the worst of Munich on the lawn of the Etihad Stadium. Far from there. But like the Bavarian defense, he was in trouble. Preferred to Joao Cancelo, loaned by Manchester City to Bayern, Benjamin Pavard has often lost his duels against a very good Jack Grealish. Relaunched in the France team after his goal against Ireland two weeks ago, the side remained, like Upamecano, on very good performances with Bayern.
He alternated the good and the bad against City. First the worst: this yellow card for an avoidable tackle on Grealish at the end of the match (89th). Then, this back pass not strong enough for his goalkeeper, just after the fright caused by Upamecano (50th). But there was also some good, with a nice tackle in front of Kevin de Bruyne in his area (45th + 2). And a few movements forward, especially with this header past the opposing goal (69th).
Coman, straight into the wall
We had seen him in difficulty with the French team against the Netherlands of Nathan Aké, despite the big victory of the Blues that evening (4-0). Against City, Kingsley Coman once again found himself facing the Dutch defender. Again, he ran into an insurmountable wall. In difficulty, the former Paris Saint-Germain winger tried to switch part of the match to the other side. Not much success either.
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Coman suffered above all from the comparison with Leroy Sané, the other Bayern winger and Munich’s most dangerous player tonight. Hero of the final won in 2020 against PSG and scorer in the round of 16 first leg against his former club, the winger of the Blues this time missed his meeting. He was the embodiment of the offensive difficulties of the German club, forced to rely on long shots.