Red Bull Salzburg 1-1 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Kingsley Coman saves Bayern Munich’s blushes

Red Bull Salzburg 1-1 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Kingsley Coman saves Bayern Munich’s blushes

 

Bayern Munich 1-1 Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday night, with Kingsley Coman’s late goal canceling out substitute Chukwubuike Adamu’s early opener to set up an intriguing second leg in their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Few would have expected total domination, but Bayern were nonetheless hugely disappointing as they struggled to build cohesion and fluidity up top for the second match running.

It was, however, Coman’s late poacher’s strike that saved a result in what was a game of two halves, with Julian Nagelsmann’s side’s second-half showing deserving of a draw.

Both teams enjoyed flowing attacking plays and gave their respective goalkeepers something to ponder about in what was a predictably entertaining and open start to the game. It was clear from the start that this wouldn’t be a one-sided affair, with an appealing ebb and flow to the proceedings.

In the first ten minutes, Bayern came closest to breaking the deadlock when Serge Gnabry cut into the penalty area before forcing Philipp Kohn into a smart save down to his right, but it was Salzburg who broke the deadlock in the 21st minute.

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The hosts went on a swift breakaway after enduring a period of pressure, with Karim Adeyemi receiving a long ball and bursting past the halfway line and into the final third. The prodigy maintained his cool and found Brenden Aaronson, who in turn passed the ball to early replacement Chukwubuike Adamu, who came on in the 12th minute to replace the injured Noah Okafor, before the 20-year-old bent the ball around a sprawled Sven Ulreich.

Just minutes later, Manuel Neuer’s stand-in demonstrated his ability by denying the hosts a second goal with a superb save from Aaronson’s 12-yard shot on goal.

After that shock, Nagelsmann’s team regained some composure and should have been level before halftime. After collecting Thomas Muller’s pass, Leroy Sane shot wide from roughly ten yards out, before Coman could only guide a Gnabry cross straight down the goalkeeper’s throat, much to his boss’s chagrin.

However, the first half would conclude on a contentious note, with a symphony of home-fan whistles drowning out Michael Oliver’s half-time meltdown.

After Benjamin Pavard sloppily swung his leg at Niklas Sule’s sloppy throw-in, leading the Salzburg striker to tumble to the ground after what appeared to be a clip to the ankle, Adeyemi was adamant he should have been handed a penalty.

Replays, on the other hand, confirmed Chris Kavanagh’s choice to end his VAR check fast in favor of a ‘no penalty’ verdict.

Bayern, who were down at halftime, came out strong in the second half and took command of the game. Despite this, Die Roten were unable to come up with a conclusive conclusion to all of their possession and offensive phases.

Wave after wave of assault threatened the hosts, with Coman in particular looking like he may get the visitors back into the game with his deft artistry and ruthless drive. Bayern missed their finest opportunity with 15 minutes remaining, and the Frenchman was highly involved.

Coman took control of a ferocious counter-attack and ultimately found Sane in the penalty area, only for the German to round off his evening with a feeble effort from six yards out that was superbly saved by Kohn, who reacted fast to jump on the loose ball and keep Bayern at bay.

Soon after, Nagelsmann’s team was reminded of their opponents’ threat as Benjamin Pavard was forced to make a superb goal-line clearance as Adamu narrowly missed completing yet another smooth breakaway play.

Bayern’s superiority and relentless pressure, though, paid off in the final minute of the contest.

With Muller’s ball into the box falling at the feet of Coman, the Frenchman made no mistake in converting his second-half showing into a tangible product, firing the ball into Kohn’s near post.

It was a near miss for Die Rekordmeister, who take a valuable result back to the Allianz Arena for the second leg.

Bayern Munich player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Sven Ulreich (GK) – 6/10 – Nothing he could do about the opener, but produced a good stop to keep the deficit down to one just minutes later.

Benjamin Pavard (CB) – 6/10 – Much more decisive in every facet of his game than he has been of late, notably making a fantastic goal-line block, but was still fairly average and was caught upfield for the deadlock-breaker.

Niklas Sule (CB) – 5/10 – Always looked capable of a howler and almost gave the neutrals what they wanted twice in the first half. Generally solid, though, managing three tackles.

Lucas Hernandez (CB) – 6/10 – Very resilient on the back foot, making four ball recoveries, but underwhelmed when trying to play out from the back.

2. Wing-backs & midfielders

Serge Gnabry (RWB) – 7/10 – Lively on the right flank, showing some nice touches and producing some exciting moments; one of his side’s brightest operators.

Joshua Kimmich (CM) – 7/10 – Characteristically composed and authoritative in the middle of the pitch, sweeping up cleverly and keeping things ticking over, although lacked a penetrative impact.

Corentin Tolisso (CM) – 7/10 – Provided the midfield industry that was missing at Bochum, while also pinging the ball around Toni Kroos-style at times.

Kingsley Coman (LWB) – 9/10 – More wing than back and, following a quiet opening period, sparked to life in the second half, proving pivotal to everything positive. Bayern’s most threatening presence for large parts, eventually getting the crucial strike.

3. Forwards

Thomas Muller (RF) – 6/10 – Showed flashes of his creativity, floating around and managing two key passes, but simply looked off the pace throughout. Came good eventually, though, getting the assist for Coman’s late equaliser.

Robert Lewandowski (ST) – 3/10 – Provided some nice moments of link-up play but struggled to get into the game.

Leroy Sane (LF) – 2/10 – Lacked bite on the front foot. Missed a very good chance to equalise in the first half and was generally lacklustre where it mattered. Needs to improve – sharpish.

4. Substitutes

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (ST) – 5/10

Marcel Sabitzer (CM) – 5/10