Bayern join Valencia in last 16
martedì 20 novembre 2012
Intro articolo
Valencia CF 1-1 FC Bayern Munchen
A late Thomas Müller equaliser ensured Bayern moved through to the round of 16 along with Valencia, whose progress was confirmed before kick-off.
Contenuti top media
Corpo articolo
Eleven years after the most famous 1-1 draw in these clubs' histories, the 2001 UEFA Champions League final, Valencia CF and FC Bayern München repeated the result to ensure the visitors progressed with their hosts.
Valencia's place in the round of 16 had been sealed before kick-off after FC BATE Borisov lost at home to LOSC Lille. Bayern needed a point to join them and remain top of Group F and, although they fell behind to Sofiane Feghouli's late strike, Thomas Müller swiftly levelled against a side reduced to ten men following Antonio Barragán's first-half red card in an intense and exciting contest.
The pressure off, home coach Mauricio Pellegrino introduced Daniel Parejo for his first start in this competition since the matchday one defeat in Bavaria. It signalled Éver Banega playing a more advanced position and a rest for Jonas, Valencia's standout UEFA Champions League performer this season.
While Bayern made it abundantly clear early on they were here to win the section – with four men up front as regularly as possible – Valencia's possession was less fluid and less threatening than usual. Had Dante opened the scoring with an 18th-minute header then the Liga team might not have had the time and space to find their tempo. As it was, sweat and toil began to show dividends.
A long searching pass from Tino Costa that Roberto Soldado brought down caused Bayern's David Alaba to unwittingly tee up Feghouli, Manuel Neuer producing a fine reflex save. Then the evening appeared to tilt dramatically towards Bayern, Barragán sent off for a two-footed jump at Alaba.
Within minutes Claudio Pizarro had swivelled and brought the best from Vicente Guaita at full stretch. But remarkably, from then until the final whistle, Valencia were quicker, smarter and more effective with ten men.
That the match stayed goalless until Feghouli's breakthrough was largely due to profligacy on both sides. Soldado missed the best opportunity when the impressive Parejo sent him one on one with Neuer yet the Valencia captain skied his shot. At the other end Dante kept putting free headers over the bar and Mario Mandžukić following that trend once he had joined the action in the second half.
Then the late drama. With 13 minutes left Feghouli won a 50-50 challenge, drove forward, dummied Holger Badstuber and shot in off Dante's arm. Five minutes later Müller showed his team-mates the way. David Albelda could not clear a right-wing cross and the tall German international strode in to finish with gusto. Honours even, great entertainment, and both teams into the knockout stage.