Bayern Munich 1-1 Man City: Player ratings as Guardiola’s men set up Real Madrid clash
Manchester City have confirmed their place in the Champions League semi-finals after beating Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola’s men travelled to Bavaria with a three-goal cushion following their exploits at the Etihad last week, and they kept their nerve to confirm their place in the penultimate round against reigning champions Real Madrid. A 1-1 draw in Germany got the job done, with Erling Haaland breaking the deadlock, before Joshua Kimmich restored parity on the night from 12 yards.
Here is how the players rated at the Allianz Arena:
Bayern Munich
Yann Sommer – 5 – The Swiss shot-stopper was powerless as Haaland ran through and smashed the ball past him, but his distribution left a lot to be desired.
Benjamin Pavard – 6 – Had a tough night dealing with the slippery feet of Grealish, but held his own at times (though those were few and far between) and looked to get forward where possible to instigate attacking moves.
Dayot Upamecano – 4 – Really struggled to keep Haaland in check, who had a field day at times when he ran through. The Frenchman came dangerously close to getting sent off early on but for VAR intervention before conceding a penalty for an outstretched arm. He was later left with egg on his face as Haaland turned him inside out before breaking the deadlock.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6 – The Bayern back-line came in for a tough night against the prowess of Haaland, and the City man came out on top against De Ligt after out-jumping him before racing through and scoring for the visitor’s deadlock-breaker.
Joao Cancelo – 5 – Silva skinned him several times in the first half and he mistimed an awful challenge on his compatriot to pick up an early caution, before eventually coming off.
Pep Guardiola is the first manager in Champions League history to reach the semi-finals in 10 different seasons:
✅ 2008/09 🏆
✅ 2009/10
✅ 2010/11 🏆
✅ 2011/12
✅ 2013/14
✅ 2014/15
✅ 2015/16
✅ 2020/21 🥈
✅ 2021/22
✅ 2022/23 ⏳Is this City's year? #UCL
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) April 19, 2023
Joshua Kimmich – 7 – Some utterly majestic passes at times, and some equally wayward ones, but Bayern’s metronome kept the Bavarian wheels greased as they searched for answers in the final third. And who popped up for their much-elusive goal? Kimmich, who slotted home from the spot.
Leon Goretzka – 7 – Powerful and robust, Kimmich and Goretzka ensured Bayern enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, which is no mean feat against a Guardiola side. Ultimately not enough to get Bayern back into the game, but it was a strong midfield showing against De Bruyne and Co.
Leroy Sane – 5 – Squandered the first big chance in the opening phase of play and just lacked that bit of cut-throat precision to really cause Ederson consistent problems. He was lively, no doubt, but his finishing boots eluded him. And that was the difference on the night.
Jamal Musiala – 6 – Tricky, graceful, ethereal. Musiala was slippery and rhythmic. A joy to watch. But, it was often a case of style above substance unfortunately for the Bayern playmaker, who made several key passes, including the ball through to Sane, but it wasn’t enough to consistently trouble City’s well-drilled backline.
Kingsley Coman – 8 – Bayern’s best player by a country mile. The Frenchman was unstoppable at times and Thomas Tuchel’s best route back into the game. He tore Ake to ribbons and was utterly electric when in full motion.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – 5 – His hold-up play was strong enough, but he didn’t cause too many problems to Dias and Co, who had his number for much of the contest.
Substitutes:
Alphonso Davies (for Cancelo 63′) – 6 – Explosive when he entered the fray. Questions may have to be asked as to why he didn’t start.
Sadio Mane (for Sane 64′) – 6 – Lively and venomous. It was the ex-Liverpool man’s cross that drew the penalty for Bayern.
Mathys Tel (for Choupo-Moting 71′) – 6 – Another who looked energetic and threatening when he came on.
Thomas Muller (for Musiala 72′) – 6 – Made some good touches and precision passes, but ultimately too little too late by the time he came on.
Man City
Ederson – 8 – Produced a number of top-level saves to keep Bayern at bay from open play, and was the inspiration behind City’s goal after he denied Coman, before his side countered to break the deadlock.
Manuel Akanji – 7 – Solid and watertight for most of the match. Questions can be asked of the penalty, but for 99.9% of the match, Akanji was aggressive, strong and immovable.
Ruben Dias – 8 – Immense. The Portuguese put his body on the line and stifled the attacking threats Bayern posed. He was utterly impenetrable and it felt as though Bayern could play another 90 minutes and they still wouldn’t breach Ederson from open play. Dias was the reason for that.
Nathan Ake – 5 – Struggled to cope with Coman and picked up a yellow card just after half-time for a reckless challenge on Pavard. Completely misjudged the lunge.
John Stones – 7 – Coming up against Kimmich and Goretzka is no easy task, but Stones stood up well against Bayern’s formidable midfield duo. When on the back foot, he dropped back and covered well, while he was quick to press forward and instigate attacking transitions.
Rodri – 7 – Calm, cool and collected. Amid the frantic nature of the contest, it would have been easy for the man in the middle to get involved. But the drama evaded Rodri, who quietly went about his business anchoring the midfield and keeping City ticking over.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7 – Battled hard and got stuck in. The middle third felt like a war zone at times and Gundogan epitomised City’s hard-nosed intensity in coming out on top in that duel.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7 – A source of creative inspiration once again. When City were under the cosh, De Bruyne was the release valve, taking the pressure off his team-mates and carrying the ball forward. He was, of course, the assist-maker for Haaland’s strike on the hour mark.
Bernardo Silva – 8 – Effortless and graceful, the snake-hipped Portuguese gave his compatriot and former team-mate Cancelo a torrid time. When Bayern ramped up the pressure and closed down with relish, Silva was there to stem the flow in tight corners. He finished the game with the most duels won of any player (nine) and the most successful dribbles (five). In both phases of play, he was tremendous.
Jack Grealish – 8 – Showed a tremendous amount of skill and flair to keep Pavard on his toes. His repertoire of pirouettes and shimmies elicited plenty of pressure-releasing fouls.
Erling Haaland – 7 – His shooting boots initially eluded him tonight after he blazed over from 12 yards and struck straight at Sommer just after the restart. But you can’t write off the scoring machine, who eventually got his name on the scoresheet after being played through by partner-in-crime De Bruyne.
No player has scored more Champions League goals for a Premier League club in a single season than Erling Haaland for Man City in 2022/23. 🤖#UCL pic.twitter.com/Gkp1ntQ6dw
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 19, 2023
Substitutes:
Aymeric Laporte (for Ake 66′) – 7 – Strong and physically-imposing, Laporte walked into a frenetic contest and immediately got stuck in.
Julian Alvarez (for Haaland 83′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
Kyle Walker (for De Bruyne 88′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
