Manchester City Crush Bayern Munich with a Dominant 3-0 Win in Champions League Quarterfinals

Ayushmaan Srivastava April 12, 2023

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Manchester City took a commanding 3-0 first-leg lead over Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarterfinal match on April 12, 2023. The match was a repeat of the 2021 final, which Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side won against Pep Guardiola’s City. This time, Guardiola emerged victorious as his side dominated Bayern throughout the game, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Erling Haaland scoring the goals. Bayern, who had recently appointed Tuchel as coach, struggled to pose a consistent threat to City’s backline. City now has a huge cushion to take to Bavaria in the second leg, barring a seismic comeback by Bayern.

Haaland Shines Again: Scores His 45th Goal of the Season to Become Premier League’s Top Scorer

The match was also the first time that Guardiola had faced Bayern since he left the Bavarians to manage City in 2016. The win was City’s ninth straight victory in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 34-3, and marked their third-straight season in the semifinals. Haaland’s goal was his 45th of the season, the most ever by a Premier League player, and his 11th in the Champions League this season, making him the competition’s top scorer.

.@ErlingHaaland sets a new record for goals scored by a @premierleague player in all competitions! ✨ pic.twitter.com/AHiRhRzbJL
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 11, 2023

City fought off interest from Bayern among other European giants to sign Haaland in 2022, and he has been instrumental in their success this season. Guardiola has been regularly criticized for his tinkering with the team in the Champions League knockout stages, but he outplayed Tuchel, who made some bold calls with his team selection, leaving Thomas Mueller and Sadio Mane on the bench, alongside Joao Cancelo on his return to the Etihad after joining Bayern on loan in January.

City’s Ninth Straight Victory Sets Them Up for Third-Straight Semifinals Appearance

In conclusion, Manchester City produced a dominant performance to take a commanding first-leg lead over Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarterfinal match. Guardiola’s side showed greater quality in the final third, and Haaland was instrumental in their victory. Bayern, who recently appointed Tuchel as coach, will need a seismic comeback in the second leg to progress to the semifinals.