Bayern Munich 3-1 over RB Salzburg: Initial reactions and observations

Initial Reactions and Observations

• Salzburg rue the early missed chances. While the match was still deadlocked at 0-0, Salzburg had the better chances but weren’t able to capitalize on them. Salzburg could have – and arguably should have – been up 2-0 midway through the first half. If they would have scored even one goal they would have been likely to earn a draw, especially with Bayern going down to ten men.
• Bayern didn’t panic in adversity. Although Salzburg were able to frustrate Bayern, they weathered the storm in the first half and got the job done, taking a lead into the halftime break. After the red card, you got the sense for just a minute that Salzburg could maybe just a moment. However, Leroy slammed the door on the game, scoring the third goal and putting the game out of reach.
• Richards and Roca impress in their first Champions League starts. Although they were not the stars of the show, Chris Richards and Marc Roca quietly did a good job. Richards appeared a bit nervous when pressed but was technically sound throughout the game. Roca put in a very good shift, but his two yellow cards will likely overcloud the performance. Outings like this from the young are paramount to Bayern’s success on this condensed schedule.

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Full Time — Bayern Munich 3:1 FC Salzburg

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90’ — Six minutes stoppage time announced

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78’ — Double substitution, Bayern. Javi Martinez and Douglas Costa on for Chris Richards and Kingsley Coman

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70’— Salzburg goal. Mergim Berisha. Goal stands after a lengthy VAR check

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68’— GOAL Bayern!! Leroy Sane with a header. Assisted by Coman

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66’— RED CARD. Marc Roca picks up second yellow for a bad foul. Bayern down to 10 men

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62’ — Double substitution, Bayern. Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane in for Benjamin Pavard and Serge Gnabry.

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50’— GOAL Bayern!! Kingsley Coman.

Officially scored as an own goal against Wörber for now, but the original shot appeared to be on target

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48’ — Yellow card. Marc Roca for a bad foul

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46’ — We are underway in the second half

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Halftime observations

• Salzburg were able to frustrate Bayern. For a stretch of time it felt like the ball was always in Bayern’s defensive half. Salzburg’s pressing was frustrating Bayern, causing sloppy giveaways and fouls in potentially dangerous areas. Bayern is lucky to go into the break with conceding. Which brings me to my next point:
• Neuer is still the best. Salzburg had two really good chances at goal. The first produced two shots and two acrobatic saves from Neuer. The second quality chance was on a break away and a breakdown in Bayern’s communication led to Szobaoszlai being one on one against Neuer. However, the shot was skied over the bar, which points to the mental advantage that Neuer has over opponents. Neuer ends the half with five saves.
• Lewandowski is the Neuer of forwards. Robert Lewandowski scored his 77^th goal all time in the Champions League. This puts him third all time behind only Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Polish hitman setup Mueller’s shot, which was deflected back to Lewy for the goal. He had been impressive, but quiet up to the goal.

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Halftime: Bayern Munich 1:0 FC Salzburg

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43’ — GOAL Bayern!! Robert Lewandowski

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24’ — Yellow card. Manuel Neuer for delay of game.

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Kickoff: We're underway!

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Chris Richards and Marc Roca start

According to the pre-match handout for members of the press, Richards could be starting at left-back, while David Alaba stays at center-back:

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The Champions League is back! This time round, Bayern Munich face RB Salzburg at the Allianz Arena. The game comes at a really awkward time, as the Bavarians are reeling from a number of injuries in midfield and defense.

Hansi Flick has his work cut out for him today. While he still has his main stars like Roobert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, and Manuel Neuer at his disposal, the lack of Joshua Kimmich really hurts the team. With Alphonso Davies injured and Lucas Hernandez doubtful, David Alaba may need to move to left-back to cover. This leaves a hole in central defense that is hard to fill, as neither Javi Martinez or the young Chris Richards are amazing options against Dominic Szoboszlai and co. However, Hansi hasn’t lost in the Champions League yet — he’s not gonna go down without a fight.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Time: 9 pm local time, 3 pm EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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