FC Bayern deservedly fights on in the Champions League against Manchester United. A double strike shortly before the end brings victory.
Giulia Gwinn hugged the injured Klara Bühl in relief, goal scorer Linda Dallmann grabbed a megaphone and sang the “Humba” in front of the south curve: With a double strike in the last ten minutes, FC Bayern’s footballers kept their dream of a coup in the Champions League alive.
The Munich team deservedly won 2-1 (0-1) in the quarter-final second leg against Manchester United – after the 3-2 win in the first duel with the English team led by national player Lea Schüller, that was enough to secure their third semi-final place after 2019 and 2021.
Gwinn “overjoyed”
“It’s of course very nice to celebrate something like this in front of such a backdrop with your own fans,” said Gwinn on “Disney+”: “This is exactly the evening you want as an athlete. I’m over the moon.”
In the round of the last four there will most likely be revenge against FC Barcelona: the top favorite, who humiliated Bayern 7-1 in the league phase, goes into its second leg against Real Madrid on Thursday (6.45 p.m.) with a 6-2 cushion. The semi-finals will take place on the 25th/26th. April and 2nd/3rd May.
The always dangerous French striker Melvine Malard (11th) gave Manchester the lead in front of 25,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena. Captain Glodis Viggosdottir’s well-deserved equalizer (81′) came after Munich’s twelfth corner. A little later, Dallmann (84th) took the lead.
FC Bayern starts too passively
Bayern, who had Momoko Tanikawa in the starting line-up for Arianna Caruso compared to the previous week, started far too passively. In front of the eyes of honorary president Uli Hoeneß and men’s coach Vincent Kompany, United were able to operate as they pleased in the midfield. Malard (4th) initially failed because of Ena Mahmutovic.
Shortly afterwards, the goalkeeper was in the spotlight again: she was the first to reach a long ball, but shot at teammate Vanessa Gilles. Malard effortlessly slotted in the rebound.
Led by Tanikawa, Bayern, lacking half a dozen established players like Bühl, searched for answers. Before they found any, Malard (15th) missed another opportunity. In one of the rare counterattacks, Franziska Kett (34th) fell in the penalty area and Bayern unsuccessfully claimed a penalty.
It was only after the break that first-leg heroine Pernille Harder and Co. were dangerous beyond the dead ball. The Dane missed the chance to equalize (54′), Munich’s pressure increased more and more – until a standard helped. Schüller (86th) came into the game too late for United.
