Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Indonesia
Nigeria

5 talking points as Bayern crash out of Champions League at hands of Villarreal

mirror.co.uk, 12 April 2022, 20:59
BAYERN MUNICH 1-1 VILLARREAL (1-2 on aggregate): Substitute Samuel Chukwueze netted the late decisive goal for Unai Emery's side to stun Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals

Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final with Samuel Chukwueze's late goal sending the Spanish side through to the last four at the expense of the German champions.

The Spanish side led 1-0 from the first leg thanks to Arnaut Danjuma's first half goal - in a game which they feared they may have come to regret not winning by more. Francis Coquelin's goal was disallowed in that game over a narrow offside decision while full-back Alfonso Pedraza blazed a glorious late chance wide of target.

The first half in Munich was somewhat of a non-event with the Yellow Submarine entirely snubbing out the attacking threat from the hosts. However, Bayern played with a different intensity and purpose after the break and Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 49 th minute. However, a direct counter-attack from the visitors in the 89 th minute culminated in Gerard Moreno's threaded ball through to substitute Chukwueze - whose shot beat Manuel Neuer and decided the tie.

Mirror Football looks at the five talking points from a tense, dramatic night in Munich.

Villarreal stun Europe again

The Yellow Submarine won last season's Europa League title having stunned Arsenal and then Manchester United in the latter stages of the competition. They were seventh in La Liga last season and that is their position again - yet their campaign in continental football has been even better.

Unai Emery had shocked Juventus in the Round of 16 and has now gone one better by eliminating Bayern Munich - who many believed to be among the favourites for this competition. This was another European masterclass by the relatively small Spanish club - who continue to make their own history.

Lewandowski record ends

No player has a Champions League record as impressive as Robert Lewandowski. The Poland international had won a competition record 22 consecutive matches in which he had featured for Bayern, prior to the Round of 16 first leg draw away to Salzburg. Last week's loss in Spain was his first loss in 25 games in the competition.

Have Your Say! Can Villarreal win this season's Champions League? Tell us what you think here.

The Poland international marksman was badly missed for Bayern in last season's elimination against Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight - showing how significant he has been for the German champions in recent years. Lewandowski plundered 13 goals in the competition this season and had been aiming to replicate his stunning return of 15 in the successful 2019/20 campaign. He won't be able to match that this time - despite his goal on the night - as he has featured in just one win in his last four in the Champions League after his stunning record.

Bayern go gung-ho

In the absence of Niklas Sule, Bayern opted to play three at the back for this game with Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez either side of Dayot Upamecano. Full-back Alphonso Davies was left out of the starting line-up, allowing an extra creative player to go up against Villarreal's deep block.

Of their 38 previous games across the Bundesliga and Champions League, Bayern had played four in defence in 31 of those games - with the switch the back three not the conventional setup of Julian Nagelsmann. While it may not be their usual approach, this was very much an adaptation due to their opponent - who played in a 4-4-2 with two deep banks of four to close down any spaces for creativity for the hosts.

This allowed Bayern to field all of Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman behind Robert Lewandowski, while holding midfield duo Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka could also offer an attacking threat - yet they couldn't break down Villarreal.

Clinical Villarreal

All the talk after the first leg in Spain was about Villarreal's stunning performance that sent shockwaves through Europe. It was a superb victory for Emery's side but in reality, their advantage going into this return leg should have been much higher.

That outcome was always going to lead to a long and difficult night in Munich, in which the hosts would inevitably dominate possession and the opportunities with Villarreal knowing they would have to suffer. As Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann said after that first leg: "They made the mistake of letting us live." As it turned out, Emery's team managed to do just enough over the tie as they became clinical in Germany - scoring from their one shot on target.

Emery the knockout master

Emery won all 12 knockout ties during his tenure at Sevilla, won each of his four at Arsenal and again triumphed in each of the four for Villarreal last season. The caveat to that was that each of those ties was in the Europa League, with Emery's only previous Champions League experience being the underwhelming Paris Saint-Germain stint.

Yet the Spaniard guided Villarreal to the Round of 16 victory over Juventus, easing past the Italian club 4-1 on aggregate, before masterminding the first leg victory in Spain last week. Excluding that spell in Paris, Emery has now won 22 two-legged knockout ties across Sevilla, Arsenal and Villarreal - with this achievement his finest yet.

Top News

25 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United are reportedly ahead of a number of Premier League rivals in the race to sign a highly-rated defender this summer. 25 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly been dealt a major blow ahead of the Premier League run-in with another player having been ruled out for the rest of the season. 25 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sheffield United have set a new unwanted Premier League record after suffering a 4-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. 25 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 25 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Heerenveen vs. PSV Eindhoven (Thursday, 5.45pm) PSV Eindhoven will look to place one hand on the Eredivisie title when they head to Abe Lenstra Stadion to take on Heerenveen on Thursday evening. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool could reportedly confirm Feyenoord boss Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor before this weekend. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly made an enquiry over a potential move for RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton produced a strong home performance to claim a 2-0 victory in the Merseyside derby to dent Liverpool's Premier League title hopes. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Xavi has reportedly reversed his decision to stand down as Barcelona head coach, with the former midfielder agreeing to remain at Camp Nou until at least the end of his contract in June 2025. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham are reportedly still interested in signing Silas from Bundesliga club Stuttgart. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will be looking to climb back to the top of the Premier League table when they face Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium on Thursday night. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Marcus Rashford is absent as Manchester United tackle Sheffield United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly prepared to allow as many as 12 first-team players to leave the club during this summer's transfer window. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Table-toppers Galatasaray will look to maintain their lead in the title race when they visit Adana Demirspor on Friday evening at the New Adana Stadium. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Harry Kane has reportedly made a decision over his Bayern Munich future amid suggestions that he could leave the German giants this summer and return to the Premier League. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly identified Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan as a potential transfer target during this summer's window. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erik ten Hag could lose his job as Manchester United head coach this summer, even if he is able to lead the 20-time English champions to a win in the FA Cup final against Manchester City next month. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly view five players to be 'non-transferable' heading into this summer's transfer window, with Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pedri and Mikayil Faye not for sale under any circumstances. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly yet to reach a decision over whether to keep or part ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly yet to reach a decision over whether to keep or part ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly deemed Mikayil Faye to be 'non-transferable' this summer, with the centre-back set to be a first-team member at Camp Nou next season. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly regarded as the frontrunners to sign Brisbane youngster Thomas Waddingham. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid are reportedly planning to extend Lucas Vazquez's contract at Bernabeu for a further year, which would take him to the end of the 2024-25 campaign. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly established what they will need to pay to appoint Arne Slot as their new manager. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make changes to his starting side for Friday evening's La Liga clash with Real Sociedad. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to move 14 points clear at the top of the La Liga table when they continue their domestic campaign away to Real Sociedad on Friday night. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will miss Thursday's Premier League clash away against Brighton & Hove Albion. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to move 14 points clear at the top of the La Liga table when they head to Real Sociedad on Friday night. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly opened talks with Feyenoord over Arne Slot, with the Dutchman emerging as the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at the helm this summer. 24 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is reportedly facing a 25% pay cut at Old Trafford, should he keep hold of his job heading into the 2024-25 campaign.