Bayern Munich earned themselves an early headstart by securing a 3-0 win over Crvena Zvezda in the Champions League group stage game this evening.
The Bavarians, however, were made to work very hard, despite what the scoreline may suggest. Although they did dominate the possession, Red Star’s defensive organisation made it difficult for them to find any clear cut scoring opportunities. They were, in fact, lucky to score the opener out of nowhere through Kingsley Coman.
Bayern Munich pushed harder in the second half, but clear cut chances came far and few. But, as the visitors began to open up a little bit during the final phase of the game, Bayern took full advantage, scoring two late goals through Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, who added more gloss to the scoreline.
Here is how Niko Kovac’s men fared in their hard-fought win over Crvena Zvezda at the Allianz Arena.
Manuel Neuer 6
Had a very quiet evening as Crvena struggled to create even a single shot on target. Marko Marin was the closest, but his shot was marginally wide. Neuer, did, however, made a blunder early in the game.
Joshua Kimmich 9.5
Reverted to a right-back position, Joshua Kimmich delivered yet another classy display. The German international was excellent in possession and linked up really well with the likes of Perisic and Philippe Coutinho. Also made a couple of solid tackles whilst keeping Rajiv van la Parra at bay.
Niklas Sule 7
A rusty game from the German international, whose forward balls were borderline awful. He lacked precision in his passing. In defence, he was solid and made some crucial tackles.
Benjamin Pavard 8
Much better performance when compared to his defensive partner Sule. The Frenchman notably made one remarkable recovery to deny Milan Pavkov from getting a golden opportunity to score. He was also quite good with his overall ball distribution.
Lucas Hernandez 7.5
Replaced the injured David Alaba at left-back. The ex-Atletico Madrid star wasn’t as influential going forward as his Austrian counterpart. But, he was solid at the back and restricted the opposition from making any inroads from the flanks.
Thiago Alcantara 9
It was a confident display from Thiago Alcantara, who ran the show in midfield with his brilliant ball distribution. Looked extremely comfortable with the ball and provided the assist to Muller for the final goal though an incredible piece of ingenuity.
Corentin Tolisso 6
A lacklustre performance from the Frenchman, who often looked clueless and uncomfortable. His passes weren’t exactly effective while he evidently struggled to keep up with Marin, at times. He was rightfully subbed off after the hour-mark.
Ivan Perisic 8.5
Provided a lot of threat to Crvena throughout the course of the first half. He looked menacing whenever he received the ball, and it was his inviting cross that led to Coman scoring the opener in the 34th minute. A bright display by the Croatian international.
Philippe Coutinho 9
By far the most active player on the pitch after Kimmich, Coutinho augmented each and every Bayern Munich attack. The Brazilian completed a lot of dribbles and delivered key passes. He was unlucky not to score a goal for himself before being subbed off during the final phase of the game.
Kingsley Coman 7.5
Apart from the opener, Coman didn’t really look menacing this evening. The Frenchman lacked inspiration and was often isolated by the Crvena defenders. As a result, he failed to create anything substantial on the flanks.
Robert Lewandowski 9
Lewandowski tried his best to get involved in the game despite being outnumbered by the opposing defenders. But at the end, his persistence paid off as he scored Bayern Munich’s second goal in the 84th minute. Unlucky not to score more.
SUBSTITUTES
Javi Martinez 7.5
Replaced the ineffective Tolisso in the 65th minute and was far more influential than the Frenchman. He was, however, a bit rusty with his defending.
Serge Gnabry 7.5
Provided a few scares to the Crvena defence with his driving runs into the box after replacing Perisic in the 66th minute.
Thomas Muller N/A
Came on for Coutinho in the 83rd minute and scored his first Champions League goal since the 2017/18 season.
