On Tuesday evening, FC Bayern faced Atlético Madrid on the road in the Champions League. The record champions wanted to avoid getting off to a rough start.
In their fourth match of the Champions League group stage, they were looking for their second win. So far, Bayern had earned five points from three matches, though the game in Stavanger (3–3) was viewed particularly critically.
The match in Madrid was as intense as expected. But FCB was able to keep up with the intensity and even dictate the pace, ultimately winning 2–0.
Bayern controlled Atlético well
There was good news before the game: Both Michael Olise and Manuel Neuer were fit in time and were able to start. Otherwise,Jonathan Tah won the starting spot over Minjae Kim this time and got the chance to prove himself. In midfield, the team took no risks with Aleksandar Pavlović, as Aaron Danks explained.
The game started at a fast pace right away, with Atlético having their first shot on goal by Julian Alvarez just two minutes in. After that, however, Bayern took control, had more possession, and tried to build confidence through a series of passes. The next shot on goal, however, came again from the hosts, this time by Pablo Barrios in the 14th minute.
Bayern had to remain patient because Atlético dropped deep whenever the FCB had possession. After 22 minutes, Bayern had their first big chance. Dayot Upamecano won an important tackle, drove the ball forward, and found Harry Kane, who laid it off to Lennart Karl. But the youngster shot well over the goal. Bayern, however, remained alert. Kane had the next opportunity after 27 minutes and narrowly missed the target.
Thirty-five minutes had passed when Josip Stanišić fired a shot that went just wide of the goal. Bayern now had the majority of shots on goal. Things got heated again toward the end of the first half, but the teams went into halftime tied 0–0.
Karl and Laimer decide the match
Right after the break, Joshua Kimmich had his first good shot, but Jan Oblak was able to make the save. Bayern looked sharp right from the start of the second half as well, and it paid off. In the 54th minute, they followed up cleverly, allowing Karl to get to the ball and slot it past Oblak. That was the crucial opening goal for the record champions.
After that, the stadium got a little louder; Diego Simeone fired up the fans, wanting his team to play with more energy. In the 65th minute, Marcos Llorente tested Manuel Neuer, but the goalkeeper had no trouble with it. At the other end, Laimer took a shot, but it went wide after being slightly deflected. Shortly afterward, Bayern made their first substitution: Nathaniel Brown came on for goal-scorer Karl.
In the 73rd minute, Upamecano sprinted forward again and took a shot at full speed. His shot was deflected and then tipped onto the crossbar by Oblak. Bayern’s period of pressure paid off. Once again, they won the ball high up the field immediately after losing possession. Kane found Laimer, who finished ruthlessly from a tight angle—0–2!
In the 82nd minute, Upamecano forced an own goal by Marc Pubill, but it was ruled a foul—a call that was, to say the least, a harsh one. Substitute Brown had a great chance to make it 3–0 but was denied by Oblak. There was no major late offensive push because Bayern defended the ball attentively. As a result, the score remained a well-deserved 2–0.