Bayern Munich 3-1 Tottenham: Group B winner too strong for much-changed Spurs

Jose Mourinho lost for the second time in charge of Tottenham as his six changes ended in a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Germany.

Published : Dec 12, 2019 08:31 IST

Bayern Munich became just the second club to win all six of its group games in a Champions League campaign.
Bayern Munich became just the second club to win all six of its group games in a Champions League campaign.
lightbox-info

Bayern Munich became just the second club to win all six of its group games in a Champions League campaign.

Bayern Munich completed a perfect Group B campaign with a 3-1 win over a weakened Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Both clubs had already confirmed their places in the knockout stage, and several starting XI changes - including six made by Jose Mourinho - led to an open affair.

Bayern was superior for long periods after Kingsley Coman's early opener, although Ryan Sessegnon marked his full Tottenham debut with the equaliser six minutes later.

Thomas Muller replaced an injured Coman and put Bayern back in front on the stroke of half-time, before Phillipe Coutinho curled the Bundesliga side out of sight, the goal confirming a second defeat for Mourinho in charge of pool runners-up Spurs.

Tottenham was given two warnings before Coman cushioned Serge Gnabry's deflected pass and stroked the 14th-minute opener into the bottom-right corner.

Spurs quickly responded through Sessegnon. The 19-year-old rifled past Manuel Neuer at the near post after Jerome Boateng turned the ball into his path and, in the process, became Tottenham's youngest Champions League goalscorer.

But after losing Coman to a suspected hyperextension of his left knee, Bayern's advantage was restored by replacement Muller, making amends following a gilt-edged Thiago Alcantara miss on the rebound from a Gnabry shot against the post.

Muller was perfectly placed to convert the loose ball in the 45th minute after the upright denied Alphonso Davies at close range.

There was time left in a breathless first half for Coutinho to unleash a long-range shot that Paulo Gazzaniga tipped against the crossbar.

The Brazilian would not be denied in the 64th minute, his curling finish from the edge of the area giving the besieged Tottenham goalkeeper no chance.

Son Heung-min appeared off the bench for Spurs, but the Premier League outfit was largely toothless in the absence of the rested Harry Kane as Bayern made it six wins from six in the group.

What does it mean? Bayern back in form ahead of Bundesliga battles

Securing a 100 per cent record in Group B was of secondary consequence for Bayern, which needed to regain some winning momentum after successive league defeats.

Those setbacks have hindered its title ambitions, but a slick performance at Allianz Arena - even after making five changes - will have given Hansi Flick hope of gaining better results leading into the mid-season break.

Gnabry a goal threat again

Robert Lewandowski's spot on the bench and the loss of Coman in the 27th minute gave Gnabry more to do in attack, and the scorer of four goals in the 7-2 rout when these teams last met was again a thorn in Spurs' side.

He set up the first for Coman, created several more promising openings and would have had a goal himself if not for the woodwork.

Starting chance escapes Eriksen

Mourinho named Christian Eriksen in his starting XI for the first time but the Denmark international, who appears to be on his way out of the club, gave only fleeting glimpses of his ability in a performance that took place on the fringes of the contest.

Key Opta Facts

- Bayern Munich became just the second club to win all six of its group games in a Champions League campaign in the competition's current format - after Real Madrid, which has done so twice (in 2011-12 and 2014-15).

- Jose Mourinho has lost each of his three away games at Bayern, with all three coming in the Champions League in charge of different teams (2-3 with Chelsea, 1-2 with Real Madrid and 1-3 with Spurs).

- Ryan Sessegnon (19y 207d) is the third-youngest player to score a Champions League goal under Jose Mourinho, after Carlos Alberto (19y 167d) and Mario Balotelli (18y 84d).

- Thomas Muller scored his 28th Champions League goal at Allianz Arena - only four players have ever scored more at a single venue in the competition (Lionel Messi at Camp Nou, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and Karim Benzema at the Santiago Bernabeu).

What's next?

Bayern looks to get its Bundesliga title defence back on track with a home game against Werder Bremen on Saturday, while Tottenham travels to Wolves on Sunday. Both sides are then in Monday's Champions League draw.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment