SportsDanjuma Gives Villarreal 1-0 Win As Bayern Finish Without Goal For First...

Danjuma Gives Villarreal 1-0 Win As Bayern Finish Without Goal For First Time Since 2017

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April 07, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich were defeated 1-0 by Villarreal on Wednesday night, putting their Champions League quarter-final tie off to an unfavourable start.

The truth is that, on a day when the Bayern domineering display switched off, it could have been a lot worse. The Spanish team displayed a beautifully rigid and firm defensive performance throughout the game, while also retaining a potent offensive threat, and should have scored more than one goal.

Arnaut Danjuma’s sixth Champions League goal of the season, however, was enough to win a massive victory for the Yellow Submarine, who became the first team to maintain a clean sheet against the German champions since Liverpool in 2017, which was 30 games ago.

Glo

Bayern took command as soon as the referee blew the first whistle, and appeared set to score early, yet Villarreal’s talisman Danjuma had other ideas.

Giovani Lo Celso and Gerard Moreno had linked excellently down the right side and laid the pass to the Dutchman, who required just eight minutes to create a jubilant atmosphere at the Ceramica, by showing good intuition to redirect Dani Parejo’s effort beyond a rooted Manuel Neuer.

Die Roten’s morale appeared to have taken a hit following that goal, as they battled to regain their early rhythm. And, five minutes before halftime, the hosts felt they had found a second within the pressure of some fruitless probing by the visitors.

Francis Coquelin saw his mis-hit cross loop directly into Neuer’s far corner, and he whirled away in wild celebrations, but Julian Nagelsmann’s side immediately breathed a sigh of relief after the former Arsenal man was declared to have been offside.

After the interval, the Germans appeared to be significantly more alert, even though Villarreal came closest in the early parts of the second half. Moreno hit a rasping long-range shot in the 52nd minute, only to see his effort smash off the woodwork and wriggle to safety.

Unai Emery’s side kept attacking as Bayern pushed more bodies forward, and they should have increased their lead before the hour mark. Moreno was denied a certain goal from roughly six yards out by a spectacular last-gasp challenge from Alphonso Davies, before the Spaniard passed up an open chance after Neuer had offered him the ball with a botched pass.

With the arrival of Leon Goretzka in midfield, Nagelsmann’s side were more dynamic and menacing, but Villarreal’s defence never looked like it would be breached, seeing out a remarkable 1-0 triumph to a chorus of loud shouting from a sea of yellow in the stands.

The home fans exited the lively stadium delighted and contented that Robert Lewandowski was held onto obscurity, Guillermo Rulli maintained a steady composure in between the sticks, and the admirably organised yellow-shirted defensive lines did their jobs.

As they head to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of this game, their inability to take the bulk of their chances and not score a second – or third – goal on the night could be expensive, but considering their defensive strengths, a semi-final spot is very much within the grasp of Unai Emery’s side.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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