Benfica 0-0 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Bayern Munich got better in the second half, but could not crack Benfica’s defense. Even when they got the ball in the back of the net, the referee ruled it out for a (dodgy) handball. Schuller also missed a couple of good chances and hit the crossbar. Bad luck all round.
• Still, it wasn’t a good performance overall. Bayern were lucky Benfica couldn’t counter at all, because they left space at the back all game. Luckily for the Bavarians, those risks didn’t translate to a Benfica goal.
• Lina Magull coming on completely changed the shape of the game for Bayern. They managed to use the width of the pitch much better with her on the pitch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get a win.

---

Full time: Benfica 0-0 Bayern Munich

---

77’ — A Bayern goal has been ruled out for offside. Haven’t seen the replay yet so I haven’t decided what to make of it. So disappointing.

Edit: Apparently it was called a handball.

---

70’ — Bayern have been dominant but it’s still 0-0. Not many chances at either end.

---

45’ — The second half is underway!

---

Halftime observations and analysis

• Bayern Munich have mostly dominated the chances, but failed to convert. 0-0 is an advantageous scoreline for this game — they have been struggling to keep up with the Germans.
• Bayern got a little sloppy at the back near the end — conceding that way would be a gut punch given their dominance.
• The formation looks like a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1, hard to tell with all the switching.

---

Halftime: Benfica 0-0 Bayern.

---

35’ — Bayern still looking for an opening goal. A few good chances so far, while Benfica have been creating basically nothing.

---

13’ — Lea Schuller has an amazing chance to make it 1-0 for Bayern, but she sends it wide.

---

Kickoff: We’re underway!

---

One hour until kickoff: We have lineups!

---

Today marks the beginning of the group stage for the 2021/22 UEFA Women’s Champions League, and Bayern Munich start their campaign to lift the trophy for the first time ever. And, this season, you can watch the matches for free on DAZN’s YouTube channel.

This is the first season that the main part of the Women’s Champions League will begin with a group stage, and as the winners of the the 2020/21 Frauen Bundesliga, Bayern were awarded with an automatic position in the group stage. Alongside Lyon and BK Häcken, Bayern kick off Group D with a match against Benfica.

Bayern have reached the Semifinals twice in the last three seasons; however, they’ve been unable to make that last leap into the Final. The Bavarians brought in a few veteran players this summer in order to bolster the squad in preparation of a strong push for not only the club’s first every Champions League title, but with an eye on a possible treble.

Jens Scheuer will be without the services of Ivana Rudelić, Klara Bühl, Marina Hegering, Carolin Simon, and Sydney Lohmann who are all out due to injuries; however, Kristin Demann is back in the squad for the first time in a very long time after finally recovering from injury.

It’s Bayern time.

---

Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST

TV/streaming: Find Your Country, English YouTube Link, German YouTube Link, Portuguese YouTube Link

Tips for commenting:

1. If you’re a new member, feel free to introduce yourself! We’re mostly very friendly! Also, we’re from all parts of the world so don’t feel shy if you’re from a country that doesn’t seem represented on the blog.
2. If the comments section starts to slow down for you, just hit the refresh button and keep commenting. It’s not necessary to have the whole comments loaded at one time while you’re just casually following along.
3. Keep the sorting to “newest” to easily follow the conversation. It puts the newest comments at the top.
4. Here at BFW we celebrate every goal like they do in the stadium: with a chant. The goal chants are for everyone to participate in! Even if you’re lagging behind the others, keep replying to the most recent call of the player’s name. Even if you missed the first call, just start from the second, and so on.
5. While swearing is allowed within reason, please be polite to your fellow posters and avoid gratuitous obscenities. Racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language is not allowed whatsoever.

Check out our beginners thread if you have any more questions. That’s about it. Auf geht’s!

Looking for an unending well of Bayern Munich content? Sign up for an SBNation account and join the conversation on Bavarian Football Works. Whether it’s full match coverage and analysis, breaking news, podcasts or something completely different, we have it all.