It started off as a cagey, closely run tactical battle, but it ended up being a blowout. Manchester City held their nerve and tore Bayern Munich apart to secure a 3-0 victory from the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
“For 55-60 minutes it was a tight game,” said City manager Pep Guardiola after the match. “But after 65 minutes, we found the second goal — that helped us a lot — we made some changes in our pressing and that worked better.”
Man City started the game with a three-man defense of Akanji, Ake, and Dias, which pushed center back John Stones into midfield — a trick Pep has trialed this season in the Premier League.
Bayern countered with De Ligt, Upamecano, and Pavard, the latter of whom successfully marked City’s Jack Grealish out of the first half.
It looked like this defensive battle would be the game’s main story until Rodri’s moment of brilliance in the 27th minute. With a moment of space on the outside of Bayern Munich’s penalty area, the Spaniard attempted a speculative, wrong-footed volley — and wound up scoring his first-ever Champions League goal.
