13,000 spectators. It’s the biggest crowd the FC Bayern Munich women’s team has ever had at a home game. For the quarter-finals in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, the Munich team moved to the Allianz Arena.
But Bayern could not use this home advantage. He lost the first leg against the French 1-2 (0-1). After two standards, the guests took a 2-0 lead before Klara Bühl scored the goal in the 82nd minute.
Klara Bühl with the first chance
FC Bayern got into the game well and dominated the first half. The flanks were the means of choice for the Munich women. Above all, the hostesses repeatedly put themselves in good positions on the right. But the flanks and crosses were often too imprecise. The Parisians limited themselves to countering.
Klara Bühl had the first really good chance after 13 minutes. After a strong effort, Lina Magull fought for the ball on the baseline of the opposing penalty area and served Bühl, who shot free from ten meters. But Paris defender Amanda Ilestedt blocked the ball with a tackle.
Residue after defensive failure
Above all, the French were one thing: efficient. After a corner, Kadidiatou Diani shot and the ball hit the crossbar and from there it hit the back of goalkeeper Janina Leitzig’s head and back into play. But instead of clearing the ball, Saki Kumagai tried to control it and served Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who shot from five yards and converted (20′).
The mood in the Allianz Arena, where the lower tier was mostly full, was still good. Again and again the Bayern echoes, which are also known from the men’s team, echoed through the stadium.
Paris before the preliminary decision
The second half seemed like a copy of the first. Bayern dominated the game, had more ball possession, PSG limited themselves to counterattacking. In the middle of the second half, Bühl was again alone in front of Paris goalkeeper Barbora Votíková, but her shot was too imprecise and the Czech save too well (68th).
On the other side, a little later, there was a corner, kicked sharply, into the five-meter space. Leitzig stormed out of their goal, missing the ball which fell on Katoto’s head and found the net from there. The 2-0 – a big mortgage for the second leg in a week.
Offensive substitutions bring the turnaround
Bayern coach Jens Scheuer reacted and brought in fresh attacking powers in the form of Linda Dallman and Jovana Damnjanovic. And the tactic worked. Bayern increased the pressure – and just missed the goal in the 79th minute. Substitute Sydney Lohmann brought a powerful, well-placed diving header into Votíková’s goal. But the keeper reacted well again, directing the ball to the post with a strong reflex.
Just a few moments later, it was another shot from Klara Bühl, which flew towards the PSG goal. A free kick just before the edge of the penalty area. Hit hard, obscured Votíková’s sight, the 1-2 draw to FC Bayern was more than deserved (82′).
The hope remains
“We dominated the game for long stretches. It’s just so bad that we conceded goals after two corners. That’s why I’m totally optimistic that we’ll score goals in a week and eventually progress,” said captain Lina Magull at DAZN.
Magull praised the audience in the Allianz Arena and had one wish for the future: “You could feel that there was euphoria. When the fans get loud, you notice it and drive you on. As far as I’m concerned, that can also lead to regularity will.”
Scheuer: “Definitely bend the thing”
Jens Scheuer was satisfied with his team’s performance: “Anyone who saw the game knows who was the better team. It’s important that we made it 1-2. It’s not over yet. If we’re lucky, we will definitely bend the thing in Paris.”
He complimented his players on not letting their heads hang after the 2-0 defeat: “The crowd pushed us in the second half too. We felt that we were going to score. In this phase it was 2-0 . Compliments to the team for dealing with the shock in such a way.”
So there is still hope of moving into the semi-finals with a similarly good performance in Paris in a week’s time. This game will also take place in front of a large crowd. Because Paris Saint-Germain is also moving to the men’s arena for the decisive game.