A few minutes into the second half, it was clear that Bayer Leverkusen were being outplayed by Bayern Munich. Most meaningful statistics tilted in Bayern’s favor, especially in attack – they had outshot Leverkusen nine to three by that time and were already up a goal. Longtime Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich was enjoying a standout night, while star striker Harry Kane delivered the goods with the game’s opening goal just nine minutes in.
The thing about a two-legged tie, though, is that a one goal lead might not mean much in the grand scheme of things. Even if Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso had not gotten things right to start the first leg, the possibility that his talented team could find a way back into this by the time the final whistle blew in next week’s second leg was very real.
And then Leverkusen blew it.
In a second half of nightmares, Leverkusen registered one costly mistake after another. The first one came in the 54th minute, when goalkeeper Matej Kovar faced a shot he looked ready to collect, leaping slightly as he threw his body a bit to the left. Instead, though, the ball was sent back into a crowded penalty just as soon as it hit his glove. Jamal Musiala was the one that scored a goal that was there for the taking, though he was far from the only one who could have, and Bayern’s narrow one goal lead became a much more comfortable two goal advantage.
The feeling that Leverkusen would have a mountain to climb if they were to advance was only sinking in when the day went from bad to worse. Eight minutes after Musiala’s goal, Nordi Mukiele found himself chasing Kingsley Coman and threw his studs on the back of the Bayern player’s calf. Mukiele noticed the error right away, making the shocked expression of someone who did not intend to do such a thing, but knew the consequences of his actions immediately. The defender received a second yellow card and was off the field, and will now miss next week’s second leg.
As if things were not bad enough for Leverkusen at that point, they added another major mistake to the list. Edmond Tapsoba came on in the 68th minute and four minutes after entering the pitch, he clearly fouled Kane in the penalty area and conceded a penalty. The ever-reliable Kane did not miss from the spot, notching his 13th spotkick of the season and giving Bayern what feels like an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The series of errors marked a surprise unraveling for Leverkusen, who had reason to be optimistic coming into the tie. Not only have Bayern been vulnerable on several occasions during this Champions League season, including in a closely-contested knockout phase playoff tie with Celtic, Leverkusen had arguably mapped out their gameplan weeks earlier. Alonso’s side were unlucky when they registered a 0-0 draw against Bayern last month in Bundesliga play, registering more than two expected goals while the opposition put none of their two shots on target.
Overcoming a 3-0 deficit is not exactly impossible for Leverkusen, especially since Bayern have kept just three clean sheets in 11 Champions League games this season. Leverkusen have the talent to pull off a strong showing in the return leg, though even if Florian Wirtz and company come out in fine form, Bayern can survive one – or two – defensive lapses. There’s no question that the reigning Bundesliga champions are a talented side,and earned their spot in the top eight of the league phase. A year after their dream double-winning season, though, Leverkusen have to deal with the harsh realities of the Champions League and seem doomed to learn it the hard way.
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