Bayern Munich 1-1 (3-2) Celtic: Initial Observations and Reactions

Fulltime Observations

Hats off to Celtic, especially Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic was a resilient, opportunistic, and fierce underdog on the road. Until Alphonso Davies and Leroy Sané entered the match in the 64th minute, Celtic was the better team tonight.

Bayern Munich treated this match like a DFB-Pokal match in September. Heavy rotation in the starting lineup eliminated any chance of an early blowout. The laziness on Celtic’s goal was absolutely unacceptable.

After sustaining an injury (face) against Bayer Leverkusen, Harry Kane missed training yesterday. In the first half, he was a listless nonfactor, registering a mere 10 touches. Bayern’s lack of a backup striker was painful to watch as crosses were whipped in front of the box to find no Bayern players near the area.

Bayern fans have been spoiled with creative managers like Pep Guardiola and Julian Naglesmann. Vincent Kompany is not a tactical genius. He relies on structure and determination to win matches. That means that Bayern must rely on individual magic to conquer quality opponents. Servus, Alphonso!

On the bright side, Bayern will head into March with a big Bundesliga lead and still in Champions League contention. Grinding out wins like tonight is stressful on everyone but the best teams find a way to win, even when they do not play their best.

Champions League Scores

Benfica 3-3 Monaco (4-3 aggregate)

3-3 Monaco (4-3 aggregate) Atalanta 1-3 Club Brugge (2-5 aggregate)

(2-5 aggregate) AC Milan 1-1 Feyenoord (1-2 aggregate)

FT: Bayern advances to the Round of 16.

90’+6: Substitution. Thomas Müller replaces Jamal Musiala.

90’+4: GOOOAAALLL! ALPHONSO DAVIES WITH THE GAME WINNER!!!

79’: Kasper Schmeichel with another game-changing save on Joshua Kimmich.

76’: Leroy Sané weaves through the box and barely misses. Bayern need to find the back of the net. NOW!

74’: Leon Goretzka’s diving header barely misses wide. Bayern is pressing for a game winner.

69’: Substitution. Yang Hyun-Jun replaces Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn.

64’: Substitutions. Alphonso Davies and Leroy Sané replace Raphaël Guerreiro and Serge Gnabry.

63’: Goal, Celtic. Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn strips and buries Kim Min-jae and beats Manuel Neuer.

60’: Substitution. Adam Itah replaces Jota.

46’: Substitution. Kingsley Coman replaces Harry Kane.

Halftime Observations

Bayern made some costly mistakes early that a better team than Celtic would have punished them for.

With Alphonso Davies and Konrad Laimer sidelined, Raphaël Guerreiro and Josip Stanišić do not have the straight line speed to threaten up the flanks. When the ball moved over to Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry tactically slid inside as a second striker. Thanks to Olise’s pinpoint passing, the overload created a couple scoring situations but also left the defense exposed on the counterattack.

This lineup simply does not have the natural chemistry of a consistent group. Kompany selected an odd combination of players for a Champions League knockout match.

Jamal Musiala continues to play at a pace that is apparently unknown to the rest of the attack. He wants to play vertically and the rest of them want to control horizontally. They need to get on the same page...and that page needs to be written, published, and distributed by Musiala.

The announcer’s pronunciation of “Callum McGregor” sounds a lot like “Conor McGregor”.

Champions League Scores

Benfica 1-1 Monaco (2-1 aggregate)

Atalanta 0-3 Club Brugge (1-5 aggregate)

AC Milan 1-1 Feyenoord (1-2 aggregate) — FINAL

45’: Harry Kane hits the woodwork! Beautiful delivery by Josip Stanišić.

22’: Kasper Schmeichel parries away Harry Kane’s deflected shot.

1’: LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

After two difficult games last week, Vincent Kompany is starting the second leg with some rotational players. Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Raphaël Guerreiro, and Josip Stanišić will replace their counterparts that started against Bayer Leverkusen.

In 12 of the last 13 campaigns, Bayern Munich has reached the Champions League quarterfinal stage. Even in the singular miss (2018/19), Bayern was knocked out by eventual champion, Liverpool. With a 2-1 lead headed back to the fortress that is the Allianz Arena, it’s safe to say that the odds are heavily in favor of Bayern advancing to the Round of 16.

Odds: Bayern (-700), Draw (+750), Celtic (+1400)

Prediction: Bayern wins, 3-1 (5-2 aggregate). Sitting on a lead, Bayern will focus on controlling the match through possession. Celtic will bide their time in the first half, looking to steal a cheap goal on the counterattack or a set piece. Bayern fans will be biting their nails after a scoreless first half. In the 57th minute, Konrad Laimer will overlap Michael Olise and cross to Harry Kane to take a 1-0 lead. With Celtic flying forward, Leroy Sané will sub on and immediately catch a breakaway goal. Celtic will claw one back in the 85th minute but will ultimately concede the final goal to Harry Kane on a penalty kick as time expires.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Date: Tuesday, February 18th, 2025

Time: 8:00 pm local time, 3:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Paramount Plus, Find Your Country

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