Bayern Munich vs Porto started off on a very high note. Neuer got booked (yes, you read that right) for taking a player out and Porto received a penalty. Ricardo Quaresma took the penalty and succeeded in putting the ball right where it belonged, as Neuer dived to the other side. Frustration was clearly writ over the Bayern players. With most of the key players like Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger out due to injuries, it was a challenge for them. For Porto, however, the story was entirely different. The Quaresma goal put them up in a position of domination over the strong visitors and it was the perfect start they could have hoped for.
Getting back to Neuer’s yellow card, it was actually lucky on his part that he didn’t get a red card since Martinez was clean through. Martinez was all over the place, following the first goal. He got a free-kick off Dante on halfway.
The second Porto goal came within the first 10 minutes, and it was Quaresma again. Dante got caught 40 yards from the goal and Quaresma picked up the opportunity and charged through. He neatly deposited the ball inside the net and there was little Neuer could do to stop it. The pressure was building up immensely on Bayern as Porto were up 2-0. This was the second time that Bayern conceded twice within the first 10 minutes in CL history.
Bayern did receive two free kicks after that, but it lead to nothing. Porto’s strikers were making life very difficult for Bayern’s defence. Bernat received a yellow card for pulling back Quaresma as he tried to charge past him.
From the 25th minute, the visitors did start cranking up the pressure on Porto. And in the 28th minute, Bayern scored their first goal. Subsequent corners were taken and a cross from Boateng to Thiago enabled him to lightly tap the ball into the goal and finally the Bayern players could celebrate. From then on, Bayern started dominating the game completely. Porto barely got any possession.
Neuer seemed to be frazzled today. He almost ended up tipping a Sandro cross into his own crossbar that could’ve resulted in an own goal. Luckily though, he managed to get it out in time.
Lahm also received a yellow card for bringing down Casemiro, but replays showed that there wasn’t any contact. Unfair decisions, sigh. The first half ended with the same 2-1 score.
The second half was a little boring. It included more of tumbles, drama, accusations, yellow cards and close goal attempts. There were free kicks and corners that both teams received, however, nothing worked out.
Bayern’s defense was absolutely terrible today, and Neuer was just not himself. Having said all that, hats off to Porto’s performance. Their game plan was on point and they worked incredibly well as a team. In every aspect of the game, they were remarkable, be it strikers or defenders or mid-fielders. Even the goal keeper saved quite a few shots from the visitors. It was a true team performance from them and if anybody deserved to win, it was them right from the start.
Porto scored a third goal in the 65th minute. A clumsy moment from Boateng enabled Martinez to get the ball who rounded Neuer and drove it home.
Guardiola’s style seems to work more if Bayern plays against smaller teams, where they can restrict the opponents inside their box. They really need to work on their game plans ahead of the following matches.
The second leg with Porto will be at the Allianz Arena and Bayern are expected to turn things around majorly at their home ground.
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