Bayern Munich were hammered 4–1 by a clinical Barcelona side on matchday three of the Champions League at the Estadi de Montjuïc. The Catalan club opened the scoring in the very first minute with a goal from Raphinha after which Bayern responded with an equalizer from Harry Kane in the 18th minute. The score didn’t stand level for long as Robert Lewandowski restored the lead for the hosts. Raphinha later went on to score two more either side of the half to put the game beyond Bayern.
This loss sees the Bavarian club drop down to 23rd in the points table. Bayern were off to a flying start with a 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb but the two games after that against Aston Villa and Barcelona have resulted in bitter defeats.
Learning to take for upcoming Bundesliga and UCL games
After the defeat, manager Vincent Kompany suggested in the post-match press conference that the failure should be seen as a learning opportunity going into the next games.
"These are the games we want to win and show the best version of Bayern Munich. Today congratulations to Barcelona for the win, for us, it’s about learning from this to show a better level in the Bundesliga and then come back to the Champions League and get more wins."Vincent Kompany
For their next Bundesliga match, Bayern take an away trip to Bochum on October 27. The next Champions League fixture is against Benfica at the Allianz Arena on November 6. With just one win in three games, beating the Portuguese side might as well be considered a must if Bayern want to secure a top 8 finish in the UCL league phase.
Good performance in the first half
Kompany had nice things to say about his team’s performance in the first half, which was significantly better than their second-half showing. The manager believes keeping possession was key but they couldn’t sustain it as the game progressed.
"We had a little bit of success with the space and the runs in behind and we were able to be quite dangerous in the first half. In these games, if you are able to keep the ball against a team like Barcelona, you take a little bit away from their game but we weren’t able to for it for 90 minutes."Vincent Kompany
Despite the 3–1 scoreline at the halftime whistle, Bayern had posed a constant threat to Barcelona’s defense until that point. Long switches from Michael Olise to Serge Gnabry were especially helpful in beating Barcelona’s defensive line which was always voluntarily trying to trapp Bayern attackers offside.
The Belgian coach believes that Bayern played well in the first half, but didn't have the rub of the green in the final third.
Barcelona indeed outdid Bayern when it came to taking their chances. All 4 shots on target were converted by the Blaugrana, with Raphinha bagging a hat-trick. Bayern, on the other hand, had more possession but didn’t achieve much from it.
Kompany and the players have so far been confident and positive about their style of football, but with barely any big game results to show for it, the pressure is now severely mounting on the team. The next few games, although not as challenging, will be crucial for Bayern as they look to gain their momentum back.