Those of us who expected an exciting game, we sure were wrong. The game ended up being lukewarm at best, with the blame primarily falling on Lyon’s lack of initiative.
The match did start off on a fiery note, however. Bayern took full advantage of playing on their home field and of their creative wingers to put together a good string of moves, of which a few were clear goal opportunities. Unfortunately, a rough tackle by Ribery, if we can call that move a tackle, had him sent off and cost his team the momentum they had gathered.
Van Gaal, always the tactical fox, proceeded to substitute one of his forwards for another winger and re-balance his midfield. At this stage, it was expected that Lyon would try and go for glory or at least get an all important away goal, but they were unimpressive and, in all fairness, plain and meek. And then it all crumbled for Lyon. Jérémy Toulalan saw a second yellow card and, with both teams down to ten men, it was time for Bayern to regain control of the match – and time for Lyon to defend for their lives. Truth be told, their defense was solid, but at a dear price – midfield and defensive lines were being played so close together that there was practically no chance for a counter-attack or just to hold possession. Eventually, the man of the match Arjen Robben pulled one of his amazing goals out of his hat and set the score at 1-0.
Now all bets are off for the next round, with Bayern’s lead not enough for them to have a restful journey to France. But Lyon will have to play a lot better and with a lot more confidence to be able to advance to the final.
