Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid : Five things we learned
By Vijay Vemu
5. Bayern’s constant pressure gave Atletico problems all night
Although Atletico Madrid are one of the top defensive teams in Europe, anytime you throw 80% of your team on offense you will put pressure on a team. That’s exactly what Bayern Munich did as they controlled possession (as expected) and forced Atletico Madrid into mistakes. Mistakes that a Diego Simeone side usually doesn’t make. They forced José Giménez into a silly penalty as he dragged down Thomas Muller in the box and if not for the save by Jon Oblak, Bayern Munich could have won this tie.
With both Robert Lewandowski and Muller up top for Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola threw out his best attacking lineup and they nearly flipped the script on Atleti after going down 2-1 in the tie. They grabbed a goal back and forced some great saves from Oblak. The constant pressure even forced Simeone to move Saul Ningunez to a sort of third role and later subbed on Stefan Savić, making it four centerbacks on the pitch in addition to Ningunez, Gimenez, and Diego Godin.
Bayern Munich nearly pulled off another miracle comeback in the Champions League but Atletico Madrid did just enough to hold on against the Bavarians. But they made Atletico sweat on defense.
Next: 4. Bad penalties