Bayern Munich took a big step towards becoming the World Champions as they clinched a narrow semi-final win against Al Ahly in Qatar on Monday. Robert Lewandowski’s brace turned out to be enough to book a place in the final of the competition. The German Champions will face Mexican side Tigres UANL in the final on Thursday.
Hansi Flick made three changes to the team that clinched 1-0 win against Hertha Berlin on Friday. Jerome Boateng and Alphonso Davies returned to the lineup in place of Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez, respectively. Marc Roca was brought back in the lineup to partner Joshua Kimmich in the central midfield. Leroy Sane made way for the Spanish midfielder.
Meanwhile, Al Ahly made only one change to the starting lineup that had beaten Al Duhail in the quarter-final of the Club World Cup. Mahmoud Kahraba was leading the line for the Egyptian team instead of Walter Bwalya.
As expected, Bayern dominated the game from the word go by showing more authority on the ball. Al Ahly had maintained a deep block while Die Roten was moving the ball side to side in an attempt to create an opening in the final third. Joshua Kimmich was the first player to test the goalkeeper with a fiery shot from a set-piece in the 14th minute.
The early dominance was turned into a goal in the 17th minute of the game. After a nice interplay between Benjamin Pavard and Kingsley Coman on the right flank, the French winger drilled a cross that reaches Serge Gnabry on the other flank. The German winger calmly finds Lewandowski in the box. The Polish striker completed the move with a thumping finish with that move.
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Roca had a chance to double the lead a few minutes later, but his shot didn’t have enough venom after a smart layoff from Kimmich in the box. El Shenawy had to make multiple saves throughout the save as Coman and Kimmich came close to give Bayern some cushion in the game. The Egyptian side was looking to hurt Die Roten on the break, but the German Champions did enough every time to break the move and release the pressure.
Al Ahly managed to keep themselves in the game by conceding only one goal. They started the second half more positively, looking more secure in possession instead of just clearing their lines at the first instance. Die Roten found themselves in a spot of bother when the Egyptian side had outnumbered them on the break-in early exchanges of the second half. However, the final pass was letting Al Ahly down.
Muller came close to give Bayern a bigger advantage in the game when his header was tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper before the hour mark. The humid conditions and fatigue were affecting Rekordmeister’s performance in the second half as almost every player was making uncharacteristic errors with the ball.
Flick decided to freshen up things by bringing Leroy Sane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the 62nd minute. Al Ahly was getting better with every passing minute, forcing Die Roten to drop deep and make mistakes by pressing them aggressively. Corentin Tolisso was also introduced in the 69th minute to provide fresh legs in the midfield.
It was a matter of seeing out the game professionally for Die Roten. They were playing it safe while showing enough courage on the ball to find that second goal. Al Ahly was keeping themselves compact to have one final launch in the final phase of the game. However, Die Roten gave no space for them to create chances on the break. Lewandowski sealed the victory late in the game after a terrific cross from Sane. Apart from a brief spell after half-time, Bayern delivered a professional performance to get one step closer to the third title of the season.
"Al Ahly (4-2-3-1)El ShenawyHany-Benoun-Ayman-MaaloulEl Soulia-HamdyEl Shahaat-Afsha-TaherKahrabaSubstitutes: Shobeir, Lotfi, Samir, Ibrahim (↓Maaloul (28′)), Tawfik, Sherif (↓Taher (83′)), Mohsen (↓El Shahaat (69′)), Ramadan, Dieng (↓Afsha (70′)), Marwan Mohsen, Bwalya (↓Kahraba (69′)), AjayiBayern Munich (4-2-3-1)NeuerPavard-Boateng-Alaba-DaviesKimmich-RocaGnabry-Muller-ComanLewandowskiSubstitutes: Schneller, Hoffmann, Sule (↓Boateng (77′)), Sane (↓Gnabry (62′)), Costa, Choupo-Moting (↓Muller (62′)), Sarr, Hernandez, Tolisso (↓Roca (69′)), Dantas, Musiala (↓Coman (77′))"