Bayern rue missed opportunity to kill off Juve

TURIN: Bayern Munich were left to rue a number of missed chances in their Champions League last 16 first leg against Juventus yesterday after the Germans squandered a twogoal lead to draw 2-2 despite dominating for much of the game.

“It is not only the coach who is disappointed. It is all of us,” said Bayern winger Arjen Robben, who had netted in the 55th minute to give the visitors a two-goal cushion.

“We should have killed it off after the 2-0. What happened to us afterwards should not happen. We should have been cooler and calmer.”

The Bavarians were in commanding form for an hour, having boxed the Italians in, launching attack after attack with 70% possession in the first half.

Goals from Thomas Mueller and Robben gave them a comfortable lead, but they wasted other chances that could have put the tie beyond doubt.

Arturo Vidal had a powerful volley saved, Mueller twice went close, while the normally clinical Robert Lewandowski was guilty of missing his share of chances.

Juve made the most of the reprieve, battling back to score twice in 13 minutes as Bayern’s confidence was shaken.

Paulo Dybala scored in the 63rd minute against the run of play, before Stefano Sturaro levelled to set up a nail-biting return leg in Munich on March 16. “Obviously a win would have been better,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.

“You cannot really expect that your opponent will not get a single chance. That’s football. Sometimes you can’t look at just the result.

“We played with character. We played well over 90 minutes, not just 60 minutes. Overall I am satisfied with the performance.” – Reuters