Bayern Munich grinded out a 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League, but it was not easy.
Playing against Benfica’s stingy low block, Bayern Munich had a lot of possession and chances, just not high-percentage opportunities.
The plan was put in place by Benfica boss Bruno Lage, who lamented his team’s inability to make good on the few chances it had.
“When Bayern play at home they usually have a lot of possession. We knew we would have to defend. Our plan was to try and create something with the ball. We wanted to have more control and could have done better in transition a few times,” Lage said (via FCBayern.com).
Former Heidenheim player Jan-Niklas Beste could feel the pressure that Benfica was absorbing and admitted that damn was eventually going to burst.
“If you’re playing with such a tight block against Bayern for such a long time, I think it’s only a matter of time before Bayern score a goal. Obviously, the goal was great. It was a great cross to the far post and went back into the centre. It’s difficult to defend that. The things we wanted to do in transition didn’t work for us today. You’re fairly alone up front against three or four players, and that obviously makes it extremely difficult.”
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