Bayern Munich reached the Champions League final thanks to a 3-0 win over Lyon that wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline recommends.
Some profligate wrapping up by the French outfit was mercilessly rebuffed by Serge Gnabry’s brace and a late Robert Lewandowski header to set up a mouthwatering clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
This is what we made of it.
Gnabry takes Lewandowski’s responsibility
Before kick-off, Lewandowski had been engaged with a goal at regular intervals this year, by way of his 14 goals and five assists.
He probably thought his chances of expanding his run of scoring in each game of the tournament had gone – before he hit late with a ground-breaking header.
It wasn’t as in the event that he didn’t have chances before his fifteenth European goal of the season, delivering a stunning miss from four yards that was so uncharacteristic.
Fortunately for him on that occasion, Gnabry was on hand to clean up and score, as he had earlier in the challenge – gladly bearing the weight.
He was Bayern’s star man on the night, a savage strike placing them in front before the tap-in which followed and he proceeded to miss a hat-stunt by inches.
There were also occasions too when others on the two sides appeared to turn off and the live-wire winger was found chasing acts of futility and placing Lyon in danger.
At €8 million, his marking three years ago is perhaps the smartest piece of business the board have pulled off.
Plenty of PSG encouragement
Bayern may have won yet there was vulnerability on show from a side who have looked invulnerable at focuses this year.
Before Serge Gnabry gave them an eighteenth moment lead, they really could have been 3-0 down – such were the quality of chances Lyon missed.
And everything came from uncovering Bayern blunders, creating exceptionally quick barges in behind safeguards who were delayed to react to race clear for chances.
It happened on three separate occasions as their high cautious line was uncovered and it is no exaggeration to say that all three ought to have wound up in the net.
There were different open doors after that too, when Niklas Süle was gotten to offer somewhat more recuperation speed than Jérôme Boateng (who saved the day with one key square).
This was worryingly open from Bayern. Barça couldn’t capitalize in the last round and Lyon didn’t have the forefront here.
However, one thing is without a doubt. In the event that Kylian Mbappé, Neymar or Ángel di María are afforded that sort of opening on Sunday, they’ll show no kindness.
A message to you, Rudi
It is easy to say looking back yet this author and plenty others were complaining about Rudi Garcia’s dynamic beforehand.
As he had in Turin and as he had against Manchester City, the Lyon supervisor again sidelined Moussa Dembélé, Lyon’s most natural finisher.
On those occasions it was legitimized, particularly as he filled the super-sub job so well against City – which ought to have earned him the start here.
Be that as it may, again, the previous Roma supervisor settled on Karl Toko Ekambi in attack, with his justification for it not so much satisfying the complaints after several major misses.
“Karl has the right to start and it gives me more tactical alternatives,” he told RMC Sport beforehand. “They offer various things however Moussa will make advances on score the goal that sends us through.”
The issue with that, obviously, is what if the game is already dead when he unleashes Dembélé? Which is exactly what happened.
When he came on after 58 minutes, the damage was done and it was already too late. The fact he replaced Memphis was another bewildering call.
And with a portion of those chances that were missed, the ex-Celtic man was clearly sat on the seat thinking about what may have been had he been on the finish of them.
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