Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry scored a brace and inspired the German Champions to defeat 10 man Chelsea by a scoreline of 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League knockout fixture at Stamford Bridge.
In the 25th minute, Chelsea also had their first chance, but Ross Barkley’s fizzing cross just missed the incoming Mason Mount at the far post.
Caballero’s next two saves came in quick succession just before the half-hour mark. The first saw the Chelsea goalkeeper get down low to save a weak Lewandowski shot before throwing his body in front of another effort from the Poland international as Bayern increased the heat on their hosts.
Bayern coach Hansi Flick said,
“It was a really good result for us,”
“The team performed exactly how we planned and we were very focused how we played.”
A smiling Bayern Munich gaffer, Hansi Flick said he was very happy about the Serge Gnabry’s performance and was also kind of grateful that the player is plying his trade in Germany rather than in England.
Flick said,
“I saw how he played at Arsenal and I followed his career intently,”
“You could tell what he could do for the first Champions League match I saw him… he really impressed me and with Bayern Munich he’s really developing well. So I’m very happy that he’s playing with us.”
The second half did not begin well for Chelsea as Jorginho was booked for dissent four minutes after the break, meaning he will miss the return leg in Munich. It went from bad and to worse not long after as Bayern broke the deadlock.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, who throughout his career relished Champions League football and played in two finals, said the result was sobering for his young team. Frank Lampard said:
“That’s football at this level — the level of Bayern Munich.
“Unless we were getting everything bang on and right we were not going to get a result and we didn’t get everything bang on,”
“It was a harsh lesson in the realities of Champions League football.”
There were half-chances for both sides as the game went on but it was Bayern who added a third in the 76th minute. The impressive Alphonso Davies used his explosive pace to bamboozle Chelsea, skipping over two challenges before driving into the area. He then squared the ball for Lewandowski, who slotted home to increase Bayern’s grip on the tie.
But Chelsea’s miserable half did not end there. With seven minutes of normal time to play, they were reduced to 10 men as Alonso caught Lewandowski in the face with a flailing arm. Referee Clement Turpin was advised by VAR the incident needed to be checked and after consulting the pitchside monitor, Alonso was shown a straight red card and will miss out on the reverse fixture in Germany.
Former Chelsea legend and current-day manager Frank Lampard was clearly disappointed in the performance of some of his side and said that each member of the team had to look at how he could improve in the second leg in Munich on March 18.
He concluded by saying,
“We have to go and play with pride and not consider the scoreline,” “We have to show character.”
The question remains is can Chelsea pull off a heist in Germany? Voice your comments below.
