On Vincent Kompany’s emotional return to England, FC Bayern suffered its first defeat under its new coach. To the delight of Prince William in the stands, Joker Jhon Duran outwitted Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the 79th minute, giving Aston Villa a 1-0 (0-0) win.
Two weeks after their 9-2 dream start in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb, Munich remained goalless for the first time under Kompany. Four decades after the final defeat in the European Cup against the traditional British club, there was also a defeat in the second duel.
After an impressive 30 goals in seven competitive games, striker Harry Kane, who was struggling before the away game in Birmingham, and his offensive colleagues couldn’t find a solution this time; precision was too often lacking. Jamal Musiala, who was substituted after the break by former Burnley coach and Manchester City professional Kompany, was unable to significantly revive the game.
As with the 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga top game against Bayer Leverkusen, Munich’s first Champions League away game under Kompany was once again not enough to win. As a result of the defeat, FC Bayern had to give up the lead they had achieved after the first matchday of the reformed premier class.
No Musiala in the starting line-up
Four days after the exhausting Bundesliga top game against champions Bayer Leverkusen (1-1), Kompany initially put his star player Musiala on the bench for reasons of load management. The national player “didn’t feel great” over the past two days, said the Bayern coach. For Musiala, Kingsley Coman played in the offensive line behind striker Harry Kane, and Raphaël Guerreiro was replaced by Konrad Laimer at right-back.
Even without Musiala as their driver, the Munich team dominated the game at the beginning, even if they lacked penetration in the final third. The Premier League fifth-place team from Birmingham mostly waited in their own half for Bayern’s mistakes in order to achieve success on the counterattack.
In the 17th minute, Dayot Upamecano had to take full risk as the last man in the running duel against Ollie Watkins. Just a short time later, the central defender received an early yellow card for holding on to England’s international player. The hosts were now in control and celebrated the supposed 1-0 – but Pau Francisco Torres’ goal did not count due to a previous offside position after a VAR intervention (22nd). Prince William, who was sitting in the stands as an avowed Aston Villa fan, also had to cut short his celebration in the stands in disappointment.
Kane tried hard, but not dangerous
The hosts, trained by Spaniard Unai Emery, remained dangerous in the transition game. After half an hour, Bayern countered once, but Serge Gnabry missed from a tight angle. A cross pass to Kane, who was running along, would probably have been the better option.
Bayern’s center forward, who had recovered in time from the blow to his ankle in the Leverkusen game, ran a lot and worked well against the ball. However, he initially posed little danger of scoring when he returned to England. The best chance to score in the first half belonged to Michael Olise, who forced world champion goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez into a brilliant performance with a long-range shot (39′).
Neuer helps make it 0-1
Kompany, who had returned to the island as a long-time professional at Manchester City and briefly coach at Burnley FC, reacted to the half-time score and brought on Musiala for the inconspicuous Coman. With Musiala in the ten position, Bayern’s offensive game gained new impetus. In the 64th minute, the 21-year-old broke dangerously into the penalty area after a one-two with Kane. Olise, who moved to the wing, had previously failed with a double chance (57th).
A little later, the Frenchman was substituted for Leroy Sané. A quarter of an hour before the end, new signing João Palhinha, who was once again preferred to Aleksandar Pavlovic in defensive midfield, also got his minutes. The Munich team pushed for the lead – but it fell on the other side. Substitute Duran got the ball into his path after a counterattack and shot it over the line directly over Neuer, who was rushing out of the goal, to make it 1-0. In stoppage time, Gnabry missed a great chance to equalize.
Before the game, Prince William met with heroes from the Villa team that beat Bayern 1-0 in the 1982 European Cup final. 42 years later, the legends are “here on a historic night for Aston Villa,” said a message from the heir to the British throne on X.
− dpa
