Sports Weekly all-media reporter Huang Sijun
See also 8-2, but this time it's a two-legged total score. Three weeks ago, thanks to a final-minute goal from Comand, bayern drew 1-1 away from home, but Bayern, who had been in a bad state, returned home to play an incredible 7-1 at Salzburg. Lewandowski staged a "seamless hat-trick" within the opening 23 minutes, and just half an hour later, Gnabry completely killed the suspense, and the second half became a routine. If it weren't for the danish rising star Kelgaard who came off the bench and dared to fight back, Thomas Müller and Leroy Sane might not have had enough motivation to swipe two more goals in the final moments to perfectly reproduce the "Deba score".
Lewandowski led the team to a collective highlight, and Bayern swept Salzburg 7-1.
In a big test that shouldn't have come so early, Nagelsman took half an hour to turn in the papers in advance and got high scores, even full marks, "It was definitely a very, very good game." On the technical level of football, we play incredibly well today. We created a lot of chances through very beautiful football and scored in all kinds of ways – set-pieces, ball transfers and positional battles. As long as we have this energy, this greed, we will be difficult to stop. Everyone pushes each other. Today we deserve this victory, even with such a high score. ”
Neuer's line of fire returns
Before the match, Bayern clearly felt the pressure – the pressure they shouldn't have when facing a "small word" like Salzburg. Bayern have been at their lowest level since beating rivals Leipzig RB 3-2 at home a month ago, first by the promotion of Bochum and then by a near-defeat to Salzburg. After a home reversal of Bundesliga vice-captain Fürth and gnawing the hard bone of Eintracht Frankfurt away from home, Nagelsmann's side was forced to draw 1-1 at home by Bayer Leverkusen. Having won just two of their five games and scored just one goal in all three of them, it's not at all the same as Bayern, who have won 25 of their first 30 games and averaged 3.47 goals per game.
It was also the day after Leipzig that Neuer underwent a repair surgery on the medial meniscus of his right knee. So for the past 5 games, Ulreich has been guarding the goal. Ulreich's personal play is not faulty, even if he conceded four goals against Bochum in the first half, it has not much to do with him. But whether it is Urreich or Neuer standing in front of the goal is at least psychologically different for the teammates in front of him, and even the fans watching the game. Neuer is great because he can improve the efficiency of the team in all aspects, whether defensively or offensively, especially in a team that pays attention to possession. He was sure to make a comeback in the match against Salzburg at home, and he reassured the whole team from the beginning.
Neuer's timely comeback is crucial.
Neuer's last serious injury came at the end of the 2018/19 season. In the league against Düsseldorf, he tore his calf muscle fibers and then stopped injured for 5 weeks and missed 6 games until his comeback in the DFB-Pokal final against Leipzig. As soon as he returned, Neuer made three world-class saves with divine help, allowing Bayern, who was passive at the beginning, to avoid conceding a goal and eventually winning 3-0 to win the cup. You know, that season, Neuer fell into the lowest season of his career because of his previous 3 consecutive metatarsal fractures. As a result, this injury at the end of the season actually brought him out of the quagmire and returned to the top in the following season. With such a successful precedent and the fact that this comeback is also facing "Red Bull", this coincidence has finally proved to be a good omen.
With Neuer at the back, three centre-backs Jules, Pavard and Lucas Hernandez can always find the safest and most reliable pass when facing a rush, and the pressure on Kimmich and Musiara is correspondingly reduced. The change may seem trivial, but with the first leg of the game being broken through on a single defence against Adeyami, which resulted in a goal conceded, and Jules and Pavard also making low-level mistakes at the back and passing the ball, you have to admit that Neuer's return is really too important.
Levan is set to win in 23 minutes
Of course, a single Neuer can't completely hide the shortcomings of Bayern's defensive line – or the necessary defensive loopholes due to this radical style of play. Müller admitted after the game that Bayern did not concede the ball in the opening five minutes, "We had the luck that we had today when we were in Salzburg. After Levan forced Kern to make a brilliant save just one minute into the opening, Salzburg immediately responded strongly: Adeyami blocked Musiara's release on the left side of the road, then quickly inserted a cross from the left side of the box, and Capaldo's push from the center of the box was pushed by the actively chasing Comand in the last minute to block the left goalpost. Coach praised Coman's shovel after the game, "One of the keys today was the world-class tackle that Comand made at the beginning of the game. His performance is vibrant. Hat off to him! Kim opened the door for us. ”
Lewandowski caused Weber to foul in the penalty area twice.
If it weren't for Coman's shovel, Neuer would have been able to hold on to such a close-range push, and indeed would have put a huge question mark. After Levan used the penalty he had created to open the record, Salzburg had another good chance to shoot inside the box, Pavard relieved Aronson's pick-and-pass error, and Seiwald's left-footed shot 10 meters away was subconsciously raised by Neuer and rubbed off the crossbar with his fingertips.
What if Salzburg seized one of these opportunities? But that's the ecology of the Champions League, especially the Champions League knockout stages, and the opportunities you miss in the front are often quickly redoubled in the back. As a result, Levan, who was still defenseless in the first leg and did not even shoot, soon taught the young calves the most vivid lesson. After using his skill and experience to win two fouls in the penalty area, Levan unblocked Kern's tackle out of the box back into the upright, and finally slammed the combined right thigh with his abdomen into the empty goal. Mr. World Footballer of the Year scored three goals in the opening 23 minutes, becoming the fastest hat-wearer in the Champions League since the Champions League was restructured and renamed the Champions League in 1992.
After two consecutive league games and no shots in the last two Champions League games (including a 3-0 home win over Barcelona in the final round of the group stage), Levan became the sixth player to wear a hat twice or more in a Champions League season, scoring 42 goals for Bayern in 35 games this season, becoming the first player in European football to score more than 40 goals in this season.
Following a 5-2 home win over Benfica in the group stage, Levan scored a hat-trick in the Champions League for the second time this season.
After Neuer was in charge, and in front of Levan laid the foundation for the victory, Bayern's promotion was a matter of course. Gnabry, Muller and Sane subsequently made the top of the list, while Comand, who did not score, not only made a contribution to avoiding the team's opening fall behind, but also successfully forced Mohammed Kamala in the front of the opposing penalty area, creating a chance for Gnabry to score the fourth goal. The frontcourt 5-man group in this 3241 formation collectively played at a high level. At the end of the game, the goals of Müller and Sane were all completed through exquisite group cooperation, which made The Coach particularly happy. This is the fourth time Bayern has scored seven goals in a single game in the Champions League quarter-finals, after sweeping Basel (2012) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2015) 7-0 and Sporting Lisbon 7-1 (2009).
MULLER: The second leg tends to be easier
Losing early on, Nagelsman ran out of five substitutes in the 66th minute, giving Gnabry, Lucas, Comant, Jules and Musiara to rest, with Gnabry being replaced by Sal after half-time. After the game, the coach revealed that Gnabry and Comand were both slightly unwell in their muscles, but neither was a big problem and would not affect the next game. The fly in the ointment was that several substitutes did not quickly adapt to the rhythm of the game, Rocca made a mistake in passing to Sane on the left side of the field, giving Salzburg the opportunity to break the ball and counterattack, Aronson easily accelerated past Nyanzu, who tried to grab it, and finally assisted Kyle's high-powered shot into the upper corner of the goal, making Neuer helpless to miss a clean sheet.
Müller scored twice in the second half.
Neuer was not upset about it, though, "It was a victory to show its attitude. And Müller, who forgot about the last self-inflicted unhappiness with two goals, also stressed the importance of this victory, "We didn't have any uneasiness before the game, but the tension is certain. Everyone is aware of the importance of this game. If we're out here today, we're going to be sad for the next 3 months, and then there's going to be a stumbling block or two on the outside or inside. ”
The process of eliminating Salzburg this time is somewhat like the 2014/15 quarter-final vs. Donetsk miners, and the quarter-finals against Porto. Faced with opponents whose theoretical strength is far inferior to their own, Guardiola's Bayern played extremely the road in the first leg, failing to get the desired result, and was criticized by the outside world, and even triggered some internal contradictions, while the second leg was surprisingly easy and wild. It was 0-0 away to the miners and Xavi Alonso was both yellow and one red, swept 7-0 in the second leg, and lost 1-3 away to Porto, won 6-1 at home, and had a 5-0 lead in the first half.
Such a hearty victory made Nagarsman smile.
Mueller said: "Sometimes, when you have already played against the opponent, it is easier to play. You have the material to research, you have the experience, it's like the NBA playoffs. You know what you made wrong in the first leg and how your opponent will react. "To be able to learn lessons and to be stronger after making mistakes, perhaps that's why Bayern were able to reach the Champions League quarter-final for the 20th time and continue to set new club records held by their team."
Of course, from another point of view, the match between Bayern and Salzburg should not have the suspense created by the first leg, and the coach is somewhat deliberately trying to give himself a difficulty. But in any case, successfully passing this early exam will make the spirit of the coach and his disciples be lifted, and create favorable conditions for the next three rounds of key leagues against Hoffenheim, the Berlin League and Freiburg. By the time it comes to the Champions League quarter-finals (on April 5/6, 13/12), Alfonso Davis and Goretska are hopeful of returning, which is the good news revealed by The Coach.