For the second time over the course of a week, Bayern Munich dismantled Bayer Leverkusen with a resounding 2-0 win at the BayArena. Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 52nd minute and Alphonso Davies put the game away in the 71st minute. The second leg saw a number of injuries and yellow cards, but Bayern will head back to Munich with a spot in the Champions League quarterfinal against the Serie A leaders, Inter Milan.
Jersey Swap: Exequiel Palacios
Leverkusen was completely outclassed over the stretch of both legs but some players showed more determination than others. Jeremie Frimpong was a reasonable candidate but his body language reflected a defeated attitude. Palacios hung tough, won his fair share of tackles, and forced some big saves from Bayern’s defense.
Der Kaiser: Jonas Urbig
Two months ago, 21-year old goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was riding the bench at second-division Köln. Today, he recorded his first clean sheet in the Champions League.
The crazier part is how comfortable Urbig has looked. He consistently makes the correct decision and delivers an accurate pass out of the back. He made massive saves on consecutive possessions to earn the clean sheet and added a third high flying save in stoppage time. Don’t anoint him just yet, but Urbig might be the Manuel Neuer’s long-term replacement that Bayern has been searching for.
Fußballgott: Leon Goretzka
Joshua Kimmich usually dominates this award primarily because he turns in world class performances on a biweekly basis (and easily could have won again today). However, Goretzka was all over the pitch fighting for loose balls. He won three ground duels and two aerials duels, made three clearances and two interceptions, blocked a shot, and set up Alphonso Davies’ goal with a hockey assist. It is abundantly clear why Goretzka is the best option next to Kimmich right now.
Der Bomber: Alphonso Davies
Davies played a fantastic game on the defensive end of the pitch but will earn an award today for his work in the attack. Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, and Michael Olise were all wonderfully aggressive but struggled to break through and find the final touch. In the dying minutes of the match, Davies flew forward to be on the receiving end of an exceptional pass from Harry Kane. Davies’ exclamation point was a nice reward for his endless work rate on the left flank.
Meister of the Match: Harry Kane
In the previous six games, Kane only scored one non-penalty kick goal and failed to produce an assist. But today he was the difference maker, scoring the game winner and teeing up Davies with the aforementioned assist. In the two legs against Leverkusen, Kane has rediscovered his predatory sense that has been lacking for much of this season.
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