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Tonight Bayern Munich played a very impressive match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. In the first knock-out tie, they won 3:0 against a very well organized team. In a match like this, it is hard to pick awards for players, since a good portion of them stood out with some amazing performances. But without further ado, here are the match awards!
Jersey Swap: Mateo Kovačić
It was a very good match for the Croatian midfielder. He made a few excellent passes and was a constant threat to Bayern’s defense, but he also was very good to stop a good amount of attacks. Luckily for Bayern, he was one of the only players that made an impact for Chelsea, as they were smashed by the Bavarians.
Tip of the Cap: Alphonso Davies
The youngster’s performances are just mind-blowing. At the age of 19, Davies keeps impressing even on the highest stage. The pressure of playing in the Champions League, especially the knock-out phase, is very, very high. The left-back dealt with it with ease. His defending was well-timed, but he impressed more with his attacking. He found himself a couple of times dribbling past Chelsea’s midfielders and in just a couple of seconds was in the opponent’s box. With one amazing solo run, he managed to pass the ball to Robert Lewandowski, who put the ball in the back of the net. It’s interesting that he was the best dribbler of Bayern tonight, with six out of seven successful dribbles.
On another day, the Canadian would have probably been ranked higher on the match awards list, but tonight he was slightly outdone by some of his colleagues.
Golf Clap: Thiago Alcantara
His performance was of great importance for Bayern. The Spaniard played a key role in Bayern’s midfield. He was constantly on the move and contributed both defensively and offensively. It is amazing how Thiago manages to win duels and headers and intercepts balls the entire time he is on the pitch. Chelsea was dangerous on a couple of occasions in the first half, but Thiago was there to put an end to the attacks or to help out his teammates in the defense.
He finished the match with four out of five successful tackles, 92% pass accuracy and almost scored a goal, but Marcos Alonso defended the shot with his hand. All in all, a mesmerizing performance by Thiago!
Standing Ovation: Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry just loves scoring in London. All his Champions League goals were scored right in London. It is good to see our winger getting back in his goal-scoring form. He had a good match today and was a serious contestant for the “MOTM” award. He scored two goals and was assisted by Lewandowski on both occasions. He almost scored a hat-trick, but his volley shot went too high. He was also very close to an assist when his perfect cross found Thomas Muller, but Muller’s header hit the bar. Gnabry was very energetic and tormented James and Azpilicueta until he came off.
Meister of the Match: Robert Lewandowski
You can say it was a slow burn for Lewandowski tonight. He was almost completely closed off in the first half. He had a few good chances, but Caballero got the job done. In the second half, Robert started using the space to his advantage. His runs were well-timed and it is remarkable how he used Chelsea’s back-foot defense at times to create goal-scoring chances. It is also very impressive how he put the team first and tried to provide good passes rather than score alone. He was rewarded with two assists. Robert Lewandowski also scored the last goal for Bayern after Davies crossed him the ball. The Pole was involved in every goal tonight and rightfully deserved the title of the Meister of the Match, although it was a very close call.
- Honorable mentions: David Alaba and Jerome Boateng should give themselves a pat on the back for a solid performance tonight. They managed to help Neuer keep his clean sheet. What was specifically interesting in how Alaba played tonight — he didn’t use his speed or physical abilities, but he rather anticipated where the ball would land and cleared it out. Manuel Neuer also showed why he is one of the best keepers of today!