Bayern recorded a third defeat in four trips to the Champions League on Wednesday evening, corrected in Rotterdam by Feyenoord (3-0), a defeat which complicates its mission to finish in the top 8 at the end of the group stage. .
Before the reception of Slovan Bratislava, one of the only two teams which has lost all of its seven meetings so far in the Champions League, the Munich have 12 points. They are no longer masters of their destiny in the quest for the direct qualifying ticket for the round of 16 and the advantage of receiving the return match.
Against the Slovak team, they will have to win by the biggest margin possible to heal their goal difference, and count on missteps from their rivals. Otherwise, they will have to go through the play-offs, a stage of the competition which has at least been assured to them since Wednesday evening despite the defeat in the Netherlands.
Vincent Kompany's men are traveling very poorly this season in the Champions League, with three losses in Birmingham against Aston Villa (1-0), in Barcelona (4-2) and now in Rotterdam against the formidable Feyenoord (3-0). efficiency Wednesday evening. Manuel Neuer's teammates had possession of the ball at the start of the game, but were punished by a perfect opening behind the Munich defense for Santiago Gimenez, who controlled perfectly and struck hard to deceive the Munich goalkeeper.
And during a new counterattack carried out at high speed in added time of the first period, they caused a penalty conceded by Raphaël Guerreiro, which Gimenez transformed (45th + 8) to return to the locker room with a two-point lead. The Munich residents faltered in front of the Feyenoord goal, like Harry Kane, ideally served by Michael Olise behind but whose direct recovery arrived directly at the Rotterdam goalkeeper Justin Bijlow (42nd).
In the second half, Bijlow again put out a high-class parade, coming out of a tap, an attempted header from Jamal Musiala. And when it was not the 27-year-old Dutch international (8 caps) who intervened, the Munich residents fell back into their clumsiness with Leroy Sané who found the base of the post on a cross from Kane, while the goal was empty. At the end of the match, Ayase Ueda completed Feyenoord's success with a new counter, against a beleaguered Munich defense (89th).
The Gunners on the podium
For its part, Arsenal is heading towards the round of 16 after beating weak Dinamo Zagreb (3-0) on Wednesday in London, the end of a perfect home run in the league phase. The Gunners appear in third place in the European rankings before the final day, with three points ahead of the teams that could theoretically eject them from the directly qualifying Top 8.
-The trip to Girona next week will therefore take place without too much pressure for Mikel Arteta's team, who did not have to endure much pressure on Wednesday against their Croatian opponent. Goalkeeper David Raya did not have a single shot on target to manage during a one-sided encounter. After Paris Saint-Germain (2-0), Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) and Monaco (3-0), Arsenal offered themselves another victory without conceding any goals in front of their audience, like last season in the group stage.
Leão decisive for Milan
For its part, AC Milan beat Girona (1-0) at San Siro and preserves its chances of finishing in the first eight, directly qualified for the round of 16. Failing the Top 8, Sergio Conceiçao's team is at least assured, with this short but precious success and before its trip to Zagreb on the last day, of competing in the play-offs.
The Catalan club is already eliminated from the competition, and will not have scored any away goals in this league phase. Between two teams struggling in the championship (both are 8th), the first period was very lively. And each team had its (many) chances.
To a free kick from Reijnders (9th), a shot from Leão (10th), a shot from Théo Hernandez on the crossbar (24th), a shot on the post from Musah (29th) for Milan, Girona responded with attempts close to Van de Beek (31st), Tsygankov (33rd) and Herrera (45th+5), all diverted by a Maignan of the great evenings.
It was the elusive Portuguese striker Leão who opened the scoring for the Lombards: in the 37th minute, launched deep by Bennacer, he propelled the ball from close range under the bar after a double hook.
Biting at the start of a second period as a whole much duller than the first, the Gironese then withered away, AC Milan somehow preserving its lead, and signing a victory oh so precious for the one of the most successful clubs in the competition (7 titles).
