Though Bayern Munich were not able to produce fireworks in the Champions League clash against SL Benfica, the team nevertheless came away with three incredibly important points. Key to this victory was the defense. As the offense struggled, the defense only conceded a single shot en route to a fourth consecutive clean sheet.
Speaking after the match, João Palhinha glowed in pride not just because of the important victory, but because the defensive midfielder and his co-workers had done their job:
“It was a special game for me as a Portuguese player. We gave away very few chances and controlled the entire game,” Palhinha said, via FCBayern.com. “Today, our work was rewarded. We knew we had to win.”
Another important contributor to the victory was Dayot Upamecano. Despite only recently returning from an injury, the Frenchman not only completed a second 90-minute match in four days but impressed the entire match, his presence as big and ever-present as his smile during his post match interview: “We’re happy with our performance. We defended very well. We are a team. Everyone wants to keep a clean sheet together, everyone wants to win together. This is how we have to keep going.”
It was Bayern’s humiliating 4-1 loss to FC Barcelona that has kickstarted this renewed effort to defend better. The lessons from that difficult day have been absorbed and have lead to success in the next four matches. How long can this clean sheet streak keep going? Bayern travel to FC St. Pauli next to find out…
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
