Bayern held by Salzburg, Liverpool downs Inter in Champions League
While RB Salzburg came close to a historic win in its first-ever Champions League knockout stages game only to be denied in the dying minutes by Bayern’s Kingsley Coman, Liverpool also struck late after holding off a spirited Inter Milan for 75 minutes
REIGNING German champion Bayern Munich almost suffered a humiliating defeat before a late equalizer by Kingsley Coman secured a draw at Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League last 16 Wednesday.
Coman, who got the winner in the 2020 final, converted at the back post in the 89th minute from a Thomas Muller flick.
Chikwubuike Adamu had previously opened the scoring in the 21st minute in what was Salzburg’s first-ever knockout game in the elite competition.
Bayern is now well placed going into the March 8 return leg but a second successive game without a win, following a shock 4-2 loss at Bochum in the Bundesliga, will cause concern in Munich.
Liverpool in contrast lived up to its status as favorite at Inter Milan but was made to work hard for a 2-0 victory courtesy of late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Tuesday when Manchester City cruised 5-0 at Sporting Lisbon. The remaining first legs take place next week.
Bayern’s only previous loss to an Austrian side came back in 1967 to Rapid Vienna, when they recovered and went on to lift the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Munich-born Karim Adeyemi, who played for Bayern as a youth, cut in from the right and his pass bobbled through for Adamu fired high into the net.
Bayern improved after the break but could not find a way past home keeper Philipp Köhn until a last-gasp heave into the box landed at Coman’s foot.
“In the first half there was a bit too little,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich told DAZN. “Salzburg had dangerous counterattacks.
“In the second half we controlled things better. You realized in the team that we wanted to win the game.”
BAYERN STRUGGLING FOR FLOW
Kimmich admitted, however, Bayern was “not in a flow that goes by itself. That has impacted everyone.”
Kohn had denied Leroy Sane, and brilliantly grabbed the rebound from Serge Gnabry, but Sven Ulreich, again deputizing for the injured Manuel Neuer, also had his moments.
He prevented Brenden Aaronson from making it 2-0 in the first half and was lucky when Benjamin Pavard could block Adamu on a rebound from Adeyemi’s second-half chance.
“At the end, it felt like a defeat but 1-1 is a result to be seen,” said Adeyemi. “We’re ready for the next game.”
Teammate Andreas Ulmer agreed: “It doesn’t feel so good right now. But with a bit of distance, you can be proud.”
Inter played at a furious pace to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm but struggled to make clear opportunities other than Hakan Çalhanoğlu smacking the bar from close range. Liverpool survived the storm and Firmino’s glancing header from a 75th-minute corner broke the deadlock.
Salah swept home from inside the box with seven minutes remaining to put a slightly harsh reflection on the scoreline but leave Jurgen Klopp’s side on the brink of the last eight.
“It’s a tough place to come, a really good team, a good system,” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk told BT Sport. “Overall it’s a very solid performance and a good result to take back home.
“I think it’s a well-deserved win, but it was very hard work. We needed to be ready to suffer and do the hard work, and we definitely did.”