Manchester City destroy Bayern Munich with late double-salvo

Manchester City took a giant step towards a third UCL semifinal in a row with a brilliant display against Bayern Munich

Manchester City hammered Bayern Munich 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg tie to firmly plant a foot in the semifinals for what should be a third consecutive semifinal.

The Cityzen’s survived a scare early in the second half and made Bayern Munich pay for failing to make the most of their second-period pressure by scoring two goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland in the 70th and 77th minutes. 

The reigning Premier League Champions had taken the lead in an evenly contested first half thanks to a midfielder Rodri, but Bayern came close to an eqaliser on several occasions before the two late goals sealed the game and perhaps the tie. 

How it happened

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola welcomed his former side Bayern Munich to the Etihad Stadium in the most anticipated fixture of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, and the first leg between these two giants of the modern game lived up to its billing. 

Manchester City were able to play with Norwegian forward Erling Haaland upfront, and he was the first to test the waters with a tricky shot after only five minutes that just cleared the Bayern goal. 

Bayern soon responded with a shot of their own as the half took shape into a keenly contested battle, with the quality of both teams evident to all watching. 

Typically, it was a moment of pure quality that broke the deadlock as Manchester City midfielder Rodri unleashed a belter from the edge of the area after beating his marker that left Yann Sommer in goal for Manchester City with no hope of making a save. 

The home side went into the break ahead through Rodri’s piece of magic, but in truth, either side could have been ahead at the break. 

The second half started as the first ended with both sides showing quality and threatening the opposition goal, but just as Bayern started to wrestle control of the game from their hosts, defender Dayot Upamecano’s costly error cost them a second goal. 

Jack Grealish robbed the French centre-back on the edge of his 18-yard-box, who fed Haaland and channelled his inner playmaker to set up Bernardo Silva with a brilliant cross to make it 2-0 on the night. 

Haaland soon returned to default settings with the third goal of the game as he applied the finishing touches to a dominant Manchester City move to record his 11th UCL goal of the campaign and his 45th in all competitions. 

The victory means that Manchester City hold all the aces ahead of a trip to the Allianz Arena in a week’s time and gives them hope of another UCL semfinal on the horizon. 

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, having lost only their first match of this campaign, stare elimination in the face as the brutal nature of cup competition strikes again. 

The Bavarians had won all eight of their previous UCL matches under ex-coach Julian Nagelsmann, but are odds on to be eliminated after just one game under new boss Thomas Tuchel. 

Related content