By: Luis Imaña
Without glory or shame, Barcelona said goodbye to their chances of reaching the round of 16 of the Champions League after losing 3-0 at home against Bayern Munich in the penultimate matchday of the group stage.
Aware of their elimination due to Inter's victory over Viktoria Plzen, the team led by Xavi Hernández tried to secure the three points for honor; however, they faced an opponent that showed no mercy.
The equality lasted only the first 10 minutes, as the Bavarians, already qualified for the round of 16 since the previous matchday, struck first through Sadio Mané.
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The Senegalese forward received a deep pass from Serge Gnabry and with his speed got ahead of Héctor Bellerín to finish the play with an exquisite goal.
Barcelona could do little to find the equalizer, as all attempts to reach Neuer's goal were neutralized by the defense of the German team, which would give away one more goal before halftime.
In the 31st minute, Gnabry played the assistant again, this time for Choupo-Moting, who ventured into the Barca area and sent a low shot that went between Ter Stegen's legs, extending the advantage for the German team.
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Bayern Munich's dominance did not change in the second half and they completed the rout in the 95th minute thanks to Benjamin Pavard.
With this result, Barcelona suffered their sixth consecutive defeat against the Bavarians in the European competition. The last time the Blaugrana secured a victory against the German team was in May 2015.
The Catalan team will have to play their last match against Plzen before starting their second consecutive participation in the Europa League.
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On the other hand, the team led by Julian Nagelsmann remains with a perfect score and is one of the favorites to win the Champions League.
Inter overwhelmed their opponent
The 'neroazzurri' did their job and beat Viktoria Plzen 4-0 at the Giuseppe Meazza, a result that qualified them for the Champions League round of 16.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (35') was in charge of opening the way to Inter's victory. Then Edin Dzeko scored a brace (42', 66') that left the Czech team on the ropes.
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Finally, Romelu Lukaku put the cherry on the cake in the 87th minute, finding the net after two long months. This way, the Italian team will face Bayern Munich in the group stage finale without any pressure.
The other Champions League matches yesterday ended as follows: Ajax 0-3 Liverpool, Tottenham 1-1 Sporting Lisbon, Atlético Madrid 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen, Brugge 0-4 Porto, Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Olympique de Marseille, and Napoli 3-0 Rangers.
Mané reached 10 goals with Bayern
In record time, Sadio Mané became a starter for a European giant like Bayern Munich and has been winning over the Bavarian fans with his goals. In the match against Barça, it was no exception, as the Senegalese striker broke the deadlock and reached ten goals with the current German champions. The '17' has scored five goals in the Bundesliga, one in the DFB-Pokal, one in the DFL-Supercup, and three in the Champions League. Mané, who has a contract with Bayern until June 2025, wants to leave his mark in the club's history.
Mané silenced Camp Nou. Photo: dissemination
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Did you know...
Big wins. In the last six meetings between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, the Bavarian team has won by three goals or more difference on four occasions.