MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - BAYERN MUNICH 1-1 MANCHESTER CITY

Image courtesy of skysports.com

Manchester City booked their place in the UEFA Champions League Semi Finals for the third consecutive season, as they got the job done against a Bayern Munich side who put in a good performance on the night.

Erling Haaland missed his first penalty in a Manchester City shirt, blazing it over the bar just before halftime, after Ilkay Gundogan's shot deflected off Dayot Upamecano's arm. It was a very harsh penalty, however, with the laws currently as they are, it was the correct decision.

This came in a half where Bayern Munich had the majority of possession, and looked to create numerous openings, with the best chances coming when Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting's backheel was blocked near the line by Ruben Dias, and former City player Leroy Sane clipped the ball just past the post following a 1 vs 1 opportunity.

Before all this happened, we also saw Bayern Munich and France centre back Dayot Upamecano have a red card overturned for a last man foul on Haaland, as the Norwegian was offside by the most miniscule of margins.

As Bayern piled players forward, this left City the space and opportunity to launch attacks through transitions, with a warning sign coming from Haaland's tame effort, which headed straight into the gloves of Swiss international keeper Yan Sommer, after fine work from Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish.

The 22 year old finally scored however, after receiving a pass from De Bruyne, skipping past Upamecano, who was unfortunate to lose his footing, and slotting the ball past Sommer into the top corner.

Bayern equalised about 10 minutes before the end, through a penalty from central midfielder Joshua Kimmich. This decision was even harsher than the Upamecano one, as it would've been impossible for Swiss defender Manuel Akanji to get his arm out of the way to block Sadio Mane's last ditch attempt to keep the ball in play.

Yet again, however, it fits in with what the current laws say, and if we're being honest, Akanji should've been booked the sake of consistency, as Upamecano was booked after the City penalty in the first half. This would've seen him miss out on the trip to the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Champions League semi finals, due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Interestingly, City looked much more comfortable and relaxed after going 1-0 up. This could be because Bayern Munich lost some of their desire, and were piling players forward, leaving space for the likes of De Bruyne, Gundogan and Grealish to dominate the game.

Another possibility is because of a shift in the mindset of the players. As a fan, I was watching the game nervously, knowing that if City threw this position away, then it'd be one of the biggest comebacks in Champions League history, and City'd be on the receiving end of it. But when City went 1-0 up, I began to relax, and so did the players.

It's easy to forget that these players are also human beings, such as the almost sheer perfection in how well drilled and technical each individual is. But, they'll have been feeling the pressure, like me, and the goal will have been a huge weight off their shoulders.

City will now face Real Madrid in the Champions League Semi Finals, with the first leg at the Bernabeu on May 9th. They are, of course, last year's winners, and they knocked City out in spectacular style in last year's semi finals, with two goals from Brazilian forward Rodrygo in injury time to send the game to extra time.

Things feel a lot different this year, however. City's issue last year was finishing chances, but now they have the best striker in the world in their ranks. Real Madrid also seem weaker, especially in midfield, since the departure of Casemiro, and a 4-0 aggregate scoreline over a weak Chelsea side probably flattered them. Plus, we have the benefit of having the second leg at the Etihad, so, presuming City are still in the tie come that game, we can expect a magnificent home atmosphere to play to our advantage.

Here's how our players are rated, as they got the job done in Munich:

Ederson - 8/10 - Made numerous important saves, one of which came moments before Haaland's goal. He is certainly proving everyone who said his shot stopping wasn't good enough for City to win the Champions League wrong!

Akanji - 7.5/10 - Kept Sane very quiet down the left hand side, and looked composed and solid whenever tested. Very, very unlucky to concede a penalty, but he's also probably lucky that he's able to play in the first leg against Real Madrid.

Stones - 7.5/10 - Didn't drop into a congested midfield as much as he normally does. Stones defended well, winning numerous headers and keeping good pace with Bayern's pacey forwards.

Dias - 7.5/10 - Made numerous fantastic blocks again, and looked strong and solid at the back. Gets slightly marked down for losing the ball high up the pitch, in the leadup to Leroy Sane's missed 1 vs 1 chance.

Ake - 6.5/10 - Struggled to keep up with the speed of Kingsley Coman, for the first 15 minutes especially. However, Ake grew into the game, defending 1 vs 1 situations well as always, and City fans will be preying that his injury isn't serious enough to rule him out for the crunch match against Arsenal on Wednesday, or, more realistically, the semi final first leg against Real Madrid.

Rodri - 7/10 - Made a few sloppy, uncharacteristic passes, but the rest of his performance can't really be argued with. The Spanish midfielder was closely marked whenever City had possession, meaning City had to find other ways through the Bayern press, through the likes of the 2 wide players and the 2 number 8's.

De Bruyne - 7.5/10 - City's Belgian midfielder looked a threat whenever he had any space, such as for the Upamecano disallowed red card and Haaland's goal. There were probably better players on the night, however, which of course led to club joker Jack Grealish questioning his teammate on social media after the game, asking him how much he payed for his Man of the Match award.

Gundogan - 7/10 - City's captain seems to be getting too much criticism for his performance last night, with some fans making dramatic statements, such as "His legs have gone." Gundogan looked typically silky and calm on the ball, and put a real shift in in midfield. He is currently one of the most valuable players in the entire squad, and there'll be plenty of fans hoping he stays at City for at least another season. He will be marked down, however, for getting involved unnecessarily after Joshua Kimmich tried to kick the ball out from underneath him, earning him a yellow card.

Bernardo - 7.5/10 - Typically energetic, and cause problems for Joao Cancelo down the right flank, with some sensational close control dribbling. Speaking of Cancelo, given his wild celebrations when Haaland missed his penalty, and the way he gave Bernardo a hefty shove in the melee just before half time, it's very difficult to imagine him in a City shirt again.

Haaland - 8/10 - Yes, he missed a penalty, but other than that, Haaland had an outstanding game, with brilliant hold up play matched with a killer instinct in front of goal. He now provides a different threat, as whilst De Bruyne and Haaland are on the pitch, there is always the chance of a counter attack, which means teams will be less likely to throw players forward. Without him, City would probably not have scored in that game.

Grealish - 7.5/10 - Another fine performance from City's £100 million man, drawing players into him and driving at the backline. Even with Phil Foden's return from injury from the bench, it's hard to see him displacing Grealish in the team at the moment.

Substitutes:

Laporte - 6.5/10 - Confident in possession, and didn't look out of place, which is positive, considering what little game time he's had recently. The only negative moment was a blatant cynical foul on Coman, which seemed unnecessarily forceful, as he pulled him back from around the neck.

Alvarez - 6/10 - Didn't have many touches, but offered plenty off the ball, as usual, in his short appearance on the pitch.

Walker - Not enough time to rank.