An early opener was enough for the Yellow Submarines to earn an unexpected win in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Villarreal defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday. The hosts pulled off a brilliant job of controlling Bayern’s attacking line, continuing their UCL dream run.
A historic Bayern run ends in Spain!
Villarreal came into the game on the back of two disappointing defeats against Levante and Cadiz. However, as we expected in our betting tips for this week’s Champions League games, they managed to hold on to their defensive integrity against Bayern’s star-studded attacking line.
An early opener provided the perfect opportunity for the Yellow Submarines to sit back and wait patiently for the counter-attacks.
Following a strike from Dani Parejo from the right channel of the box, Arnaut Danjuma nodded the ball past Manuel Neuer from close range. The German keeper was far from his best tonight, but the goal was inevitable as Danjuma’s shot caught him completely off guard.
Bayern immediately started their efforts to get back into the game, but they struggled to make serious chances in the first half.
After the interval, Julian Nagelsmann’s side looked relatively improved. However, they still lacked enough composure to deliver the final pass to their attackers. Robert Lewandowski had an extremely uncomfortable night against Villarreal’s well-organized defence while Bayern suffered their first away defeat in the Champions League since September 2017.
What’s next for Bayern and Villarreal?
Bayern will now have to prepare a comeback plan for the tie’s second leg next Tuesday. However, before that, both sides have to return to their respective domestic leagues at the weekend.
Bayern will face Augsburg on Saturday while Villarreal lock horns with Athletic Bilbao on the same day.
Player Ratings
Villarreal: Rulli (7), Foyth (6), Albiol (7), P. Torres (7), Estupinan (7), Coquelin (6), Capoue (7), Parejo (8), G. Moreno (6), Danjuma (7), Lo Celso (8).
Bench: Aurier (6), Pedraza (7), Chukwueze (6).
Bayern Munich: Neuer (5), Davies (8), Hernandez (7), Upamecano (6), Pavard (6), Musiala (6), Kimmich (7), Gnabry (5), Coman (6), Muller (5), Lewandowski (5).
Bench: Roca (5), Goretzka (6), Sule (6), Sane (5).
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