Bayern Munich confidently booked their place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, dashing Bayer Leverkusen’s comeback hopes with a 2-0 (0-0) victory in the second leg of their Round of 16 clash. Goals from Harry Kane (52′) and Alphonso Davies (71′) secured a comfortable aggregate win (5-0), keeping alive Bayern’s dream of lifting the trophy on home soil.
The reigning Bundesliga champions, led by coach Vincent Kompany, produced a composed display, never allowing their hosts to gain a foothold. Without their injured playmaker Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen struggled to find the spark needed to overturn their first-leg deficit. With their European hopes dashed, Xabi Alonso’s side will now focus on their DFB Cup aspirations.
Bayern’s path to the final won’t get any easier, as they now face Italian giants Inter Milan in the quarter-finals. Their dominant performance also reinforced their supremacy in German football, where they continue to lead the domestic league standings.
Bayern Shut Down Leverkusen’s Fast Start
Leverkusen entered the match needing an early breakthrough, but Bayern set the tone from the outset. Jamal Musiala weaved past defenders to create a chance for Kane, whose shot was denied by Lukas Hradecky in the fifth minute. The Finnish goalkeeper, preferred over Matej Kovar after his first-leg error, kept his side in the game early on.
As Leverkusen gradually settled, Bayern remained the more threatening side. Kane pounced on a misplaced pass from Granit Xhaka but was again thwarted by Hradecky (15’). Moments later, Michael Olise narrowly missed the target (16’), while Kingsley Coman sent a shot just wide in the 28th minute. Leverkusen struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Patrik Schick’s wayward header in the 44th minute being their best effort of the half.
Clinical Bayern Seal the Deal
After the break, Bayern continued their dominance and struck the crucial blow in the 52nd minute. A long free-kick into the box found Kane, who reacted quickest to slot home from close range. Leverkusen tried to mount a response, forcing Bayern’s stand-in goalkeeper Jonas Urbig into action with a save against Jeremie Frimpong (65’) and another from Schick (67’).
However, any lingering hopes of a Leverkusen fightback were crushed when Davies fired home in the 71st minute, putting the tie beyond doubt. Bayern could have extended their lead further, with Musiala twice hitting the post in the closing stages (81’ and 86’).
With a commanding aggregate victory, Bayern march into the last eight with confidence, eyeing yet another deep run in Europe’s premier competition.
Source:https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/
