Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Bayern Munich: Top spot secure after Lewandowski stunner in the snow

Lewandowski
netted
for
the
ninth
game
running
in
Europe’s
elite
club
competition
–
becoming
the
only
player
to
achieve
such
a
streak
twice
–
with
a
sensational
overhead
kick
in
the
Olympic
Stadium
snow.

Bayern,
needing
only
a
point
to
secure
first
place,
were
far
from
comfortable,
but
Kingsley
Coman
doubled
their
lead
before
half-time
to
ensure
Denys
Harmash’s
belated
response
counted
for
little.

Difficult
conditions
under
foot
hindered
the
quality
of
the
contest
with
one
obvious
exception.
Lewandowski
had
plenty
to
do
after
the
ball
looped
up
off
Illia
Zabarnyi
in
the
area,
but
his
acrobatic
finish
was
emphatic.

That
goal
was
almost
cancelled
out
in
farcical
fashion,
however,
as
Leon
Goretzka
prodded
towards
Manuel
Neuer
and
was
grateful
to
see
the
post
come
to
his
rescue
when
the
goalkeeper
failed
to
make
any
contact
at
all
with
an
attempted
clearance.

Instead,
shortly
after
Lucas
Hernandez
survived
a
tangle
with
Vitaliy
Buyalskiy
inside
his
own
area,
Thomas
Muller
dummied
Corentin
Tolisso’s
pass
and
Coman
fired
in
Bayern’s
second.

Again
Dynamo
might
have
responded
as
Neuer
scrambled
to
save
Mykola
Shaparenko’s
deflected
effort
early
in
the
second
half,
but
the
same
man
could
not
turn
in
the
rebound.

The
home
side
finally
found
a
way
to
goal
for
the
first
time
in
this
campaign
as
substitute
Harmash
nutmegged
Neuer,
although
they
lacked
the
class
to
then
add
an
equaliser
that
was
perhaps
merited,
even
if
Viktor
Tsygankov’s
speculative
late
strike
clipped
the
post.

What
does
it
mean?
Bayern
back
at
it

This
win
was
not
of
the
standard
of
Bayern’s
previous
Champions
League
triumphs
this
season,
their
narrowest
victory
of
the
group
stage
so
far
seeing
them
pass
up
the
opportunity
to
become
the
first
team
to
net
four
in
four
consecutive
matches
in
the
competition
since
the
European
Cup
was
formed.

But
with
only
a
draw
required,
Julian
Nagelsmann
would
have
been
delighted
to
avoid
a
repeat
of
Friday’s
slip-up
at
the
hands
of
Augsburg
in
the
Bundesliga.

Lewandowski
adds
to
his
legend

The
last
time
Lewandowski
scored
in
nine
straight
Champions
League
matches,
his
goals
took
Bayern
to
the
2019-20
final.
That
first
sequence
made
him
only
the
third
player
to
net
in
at
least
nine
in
a
row
even
once
(also
Ruud
van
Nistelrooy,
nine,
and
Cristiano
Ronaldo,
11).

Lewandowski
now
has
a
competition-leading
nine
goals
this
season,
a
tally
only
he
has
ever
topped
through
matchday
five
(10,
again
in
2019-20).

Neuer
still
not
quite
convincing

This
was
Neuer’s
124th
Champions
League
appearance,
moving
level
with
Gianluigi
Buffon
behind
only
Iker
Casillas
(177)
among
goalkeepers.
But
that
experience
was
never
really
on
show,
instead
continuing
his
shaky
Bundesliga
form.

Only
one
of
Neuer’s
four
saves
was
truly
convincing,
while
he
was
extremely
fortunate
to
escape
after
his
wild
swipe
at
Goretzka’s
lunging
pass,
and
Harmash
eventually
forced
the
ball
beneath
him.

What’s
next?

With
European
business
taken
care
of,
Bayern
can
return
their
focus
to
the
Bundesliga,
where
they
will
hope
to
get
back
on
track
against
Arminia
Bielefeld.
That
fixture
is
on
Saturday,
when
Dynamo
are
also
in
action
at
Mynai.