Bayern Munich have one foot in the quarter-finals as they cruised to a 5-0 win over Besiktas in the Round of 16 first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday
Besiktas started the tie on the front foot, taking the game to the hosts by creating the best chance in the opening stages. But, Vagner Love couldn’t find the back of the net, and that remained the visitors’ best chance of the night as they were forced on the back foot after Domagoj Vida was sent off for bringing Robert Lewandowski down.
Having gone a man down, Senol Gunes’ men set about defending diligently, frustrating the Bavarians by killing off the space to attack. But, their resistance was finally broken a minute before half-time as Thomas Muller scored a close-range goal to give Bayern the lead.
With the deadlock broken, the hosts turned on the style in the second half, scoring four more goals through Muller, Kingsley Coman and Lewandowski (twice) to virtually guarantee a place in the quarters. The result also helped Bayern equal their longest winning streak – 14 games – and The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jupp Heynckes’ men.
5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐#Mia5anMia #FCBBJK 5-0 pic.twitter.com/xdGojmEgBK
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) February 20, 2018
Sven Ulreich: 7/10
A virtual spectator on the night for the most part, Ulreich had the best seat in the house as he watched his teammates take apart Besiktas, inch by inch. There was only one moment when the Bayern man had to stand tall and he was equal to Ricardo Quaresma’s effort then. His distribution was on point too, and he has proven to be an able deputy to Manuel Neuer.
Joshua Kimmich: 7/10
Like the rest of his teammates at the back, Kimmich barely had anything to do defensively, with basically none of Besiktas’ rare attacking moments coming from his flank. Instead, he had a merry time charging forward thanks to the freedom that was afforded to him as a result.
The German youngster struck up a great partnership with Arjen Robben, in particular, after he came on towards the end of the first half. Kimmich then ended the match with a fantastic assist as he provided a sumptuous cross for Muller’s second goal.
Jerome Boateng: 7/10
Boateng was sluggish at the beginning of the game, with Vagner Love giving him a hard time. But, as Bayern asserted their dominance, the German defender grew into the game, taking it upon himself to open up the play by supplying some brilliant long balls from the back.
Mats Hummels: 7/10
Like Boateng, Hummels started the game slowly, with Ulreich saving his blushes when he was caught out by Quaresma on a Besiktas counter. In the second half though, he was much more comfortable, providing several long balls while also being a factor during set-piece situations.
David Alaba: 8/10
Alaba has been a man reborn under Heynckes, and he showed the same on Tuesday. The Austrian did well to deal with the pressure that the Besiktas attack tried building in the early stages of the match before making the left flank his own as his side took charge of the proceedings.
His link up with Coman on the left flank was a delight for everyone to see, and he also capped off his performance with the assist for the first goal that Bayern scored on the night. One of the best in the trade at the moment.
Javi Martinez: 7/10
The go-to guy for Heynckes, Martinez had his hands full with the dangerous Anderson Talisca in the early stages of the match. But, the Spaniard did well to absorb everything that went down the middle for Besiktas. Apart from reading the game well, Martinez was also adventurous at times, with a late effort requiring Fabri to be alert.
Arturo Vidal: 7/10
Alongside Martinez, Vidal defended diligently in the early stages of the match, adding to the numbers to strangulate the Besiktas attack. Upon Vida’s dismissal though, the Chilean looked to create overloads on the other end of the pitch, even coming close to scoring with a couple of efforts.
Thomas Muller: 9/10
Thomas Muller’s game by numbers vs. Besiktas:
54 touches
26 (81%) passes completed
7 shots
6 (100%) aerial duels won
2 shots on target
2 goals
1 assistMr Bayern. pic.twitter.com/0PHNJZLzts
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 20, 2018
Another player who has been going through a renaissance under Heynckes, Muller was fantastic all through the night. In typical fashion, the German attacker was nowhere to be seen and everywhere to be seen as flitted in and out of sight with his clever movement.
In addition to that, as he is known for, Muller made himself available in the right place at the right time, capping off a fantastic performance two of tap-ins in trademark Muller fashion. Up to 42 goals in the Champions League for Bayern.
James Rodriguez: 6/10
Bayern’s schemer in the first half before his night came to a premature end. James, whose career has got a new lease of life at the Allianz Arena, was the creator-in-chief for Bayern, with everything going through him in the final third.
The Colombian created three chances in just 43 minutes on the pitch, and had a brilliant pass accuracy of 92.9 per cent. Had to be subbed off with what was feared to be a concussion, and Heynckes would be hoping it is nothing serious.
Kingsley Coman: 8/10
Adriano on facing Kingsley Coman: “It’s so annoying. You get tired with time but he doesn’t. He is always there. They were leading 4-0 and he is still after you. I was happy when he was subbed off” pic.twitter.com/pZviGgTuP4
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) February 21, 2018
Coman, like several of his teammates, has been much improved under Heynckes, and his progress was evident on Tuesday. His numbers on the night were simply fantastic as he used his pace to good effect, giving Adriano a nightmarish time; in all, he took 4 shots, 3 of them on target, made 3 key passes and completed 4 dribbles.
To top it all off, Coman also grabbed a slice of the goal pie, coolly finishing from Lewandowski’s cut-back. Looks like the perfect heir to the ageing Ribery, who seems to have passed on some fine knowledge to the youngster.
Robert Lewandowski: 8.5/10
Bayern’s goalscoring extraordinaire was in the mood on Tuesday. The first half saw the Pole use his tremendous presence to trouble the Besiktas defender, with one such incident leading to Vida’s dismissal. He then came into his own in the second half.
Eight goals in the last seven games for Robert Lewandowski ?
?? Bayern Munich have one foot in the quarter-finals. pic.twitter.com/rRk7NQ6TcG
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 20, 2018
Lewandowski first provided the assist for Coman’s goal, before producing two regulation finishes to add to his already superb goal tally this season. Could have easily had a hat-trick on any other day.
SUBSTITUTES
Arjen Robben: 8/10
On for James Rodriguez, Robben helped transform Bayern’s offensive game by adding a pacy outlet on the right flank to go with Coman’s similar impact on the other side. The Besiktas defence was often clueless to the Dutchman’s vision, and his link-up with Kimmich helped create several openings. Such an ageless wonder.
