After two defeats in a row in the premier class, FC Bayern beat Benfica Lisbon 1-0. The game provided the following insights:
1. The Bayern fans show class
The game was overshadowed by a medical emergency in the stadium. Later it even became known that a fan had died in the arena. Initially, a large medical operation could be seen in a block diagonally above the south curve.
The Bayern fans showed class with their reaction: silence immediately fell in the south curve and support for the team was stopped. Solidarity with your fellow fan was more important than the party in the corner. It took a few minutes for the reason for this to spread throughout the stadium. After that, nothing more could be heard from the Bayern fans in the entire stadium. The game became a minor matter, only the Benfica supporters who had traveled with them continued to cheer on their team.
Not only the FCB fans, but also the club and the team reacted with dignity and appropriateness. Jamal Musiala’s only goal of the game was met with cautious celebration. FC Bayern’s club media reduced their reporting on social media channels to a minimum.
The club reported the fan’s death after midnight: “Around an hour after the final whistle, the German record champions received the sad news that the fan had died on the way to the hospital. “FC Bayern is at the relatives’ side in mourning,” the statement said.
The team was informed of the incident by coach Vincent Kompany. After the game, captain Manuel Neuer found suitable words about the sad occasion: “It is of course absolutely understandable why there was no support. We didn’t really celebrate much in the dressing room about this victory. We are very sorry.”
2. FCB back in the Champions League
Sport took a back seat that evening, but Bayern nevertheless achieved an extremely important victory against Benfica. After the clear opening win against Dinamo Zagreb, the record champions had previously lost at Aston Villa and Barcelona. In order not to slip to the bottom of the new Champions League table, a win against Lisbon was essential.
Bayern are now in 17th place in the table, which still doesn’t sound very exciting. But many big clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester City are currently losing ground in the Champions League. This benefits Bayern. With their six points, the Munich team are now only three points behind 8th place, which would mean direct qualification for the round of 16. If Bayern continue to collect victories, that could even be possible.
Next, Paris Saint-Germain comes to the Allianz Arena, then FCB has to play away against Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord Rotterdam, and at the end of the preliminary round they play Slovan Bratislava in Munich. If Bayern start a winning streak in the premier class like in Germany, they could end up among the top teams in Europe.
3. Defensive problems under control again
Bayern’s defense was particularly shaky in the defeats in Birmingham and Barcelona, but coach Vincent Kompany got the defense back in order. Bayern kept a clean sheet in their last four games, which is a strong record.
Looking at the game against Benfica, it’s a chicken-or-egg question: Did Bayern’s defense look so good because Benfica was so uninspired going forward? Or did the FCB defense simply not give the Portuguese any room to breathe?
In the end there will definitely be another game without conceding a goal and goalkeeper Neuer didn’t have to intervene once. Dayot Upamecano and Minjae Kim acted consistently and flawlessly in central defense, with Kim in particular showing several strong actions.
Also worth mentioning in front of the defense is Joao Palhinha, who fought for a starting position after Aleksandar Pavlovic’s injury. The Portuguese cleared well in midfield against his compatriots and kept calm. As the Holding Six, as he was brought in for around 50 million euros, Palhinha is finding his way more and more into Bayern.
The German record champions have eliminated a major weakness in defense. Maintaining defensive strength will also be fundamentally important for the upcoming tasks – especially in the Champions League.
By Sebastian Mittag
Senegal
