Job done, but we were living by our wits at times.
Limited opportunities for both teams, but we were under the cosh for much of the game.
Their speed on the wings and tenacity at closing down in the middle of the park created problems for us. We are not a strong, scrappy team and it put us under pressure most of the game.
Haaland’s penalty miss felt ominous, because I felt Bayern were capable of grabbing a couple of quick goals at any time. However, it didn’t play out that way, as they could not find the last pass or were reduced to shots from outside.
Defensively, we were very good…WHEN WE DIDN’T GET CAUGHT BRINGING THE BALL OUT! Their press was very good in the first half, which smothered us a bit, but we improved dramatically in the second half.
In the first half, I felt like Gundo was a passenger and Bernie was turning in too many circles and getting caught on the ball. Again, that improved in the second half.
Haaland took his chance well, but fluffed his lines twice. That needs to improve, harsh as that might sound. We are in “one chance, one goal” territory in this competition!
Stones & Dias were immense through the middle of the defence, but for me, KDB & Grealish were the brilliant pressure relief valves we needed at times.
It’s very, very hard to complain about a 1-1 result at the Allianz Arena when you’re bringing a 3-0 win with you from home. In anyone’s book, THAT IS A GOOD CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QF PERFORMANCE, no matter how one might feel about individual quality.
We went into a Lion’s Den and slayed the Lion! Getting the first goal (for both teams!) was vital. When Haaland missed his penalty, it felt like that opportunity was lost, but he made up for it later…which is what all good strikers do!
Job done! Now, win a couple of SFs, beat Arsenal at home, and ALL THINGS BECOME POSSIBLE!
Rest up, lads, Wembley is going to feel like a big pitch