Bayern Munich got the job done in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals vs. Real Madrid, having won the second leg 4-3 at the Allianz Arena, finishing 6-4 on total aggregate. While Bayern were quite arguably the better side over the course of the two legs, the second leg was packed with dramatic, controversial refereeing decisions or lack thereof that are unfortunately too much a part of the narrative of the second leg, which is a bit of an injustice for how good the German Rekordmeister were in footballing terms.
Shortly before the halftime break, manager Vincent Kompany was booked for dissent after voicing discontent following Kylian Mbappé’s goal that put Real Madrid up 3-2 before the interval. He was justifiably frustrated at the lack of intervention from referee Slavko Vinčić and the VAR team for not addressing Antonio Rüdiger clattering into, and ultimately injuring, Josip Stanišić off the ball. Kompany now faces a touchline ban for Bayern’s first leg of the semifinals vs. Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.
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Right now, Kompany isn’t entirely sure who will lead the touchline brigade for leg one against PSG, but he’s not too concerned with the matter. “We’ll think about it in the next few days. But I’m not worried. It’s the players who decide the game,” the Belgian manager told Abendzeitung (via @iMiaSanMia). He’ll know the touchline and bench will be in good hands whether it’s René Marić, Aaron Danks, Floribert N’Galula, or perhaps even his personal assistant Rodyse Munienge.
Much like Kompany, both Manuel Neuer and Jonathan Tah aren’t too bothered by Kompany having to miss one match on the touchlines, either.
“It’s one of those situations that doesn’t affect us players on the pitch,” Neuer said.
Tah added, “Of course, we want him on the sidelines, but he also trusts his staff to handle it well. And he’ll still be able to prepare us before the game. We’ve shown that we can deal with difficult situations quite well. And that’s how we’ll approach this game as well.”
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Bayern have already won at the Parc des Princes earlier this season under difficult circumstances, having prevailed 2-1 after playing with 10 men for roughly 45 minutes after Luis Díaz was sent off just before halftime for a challenge on Achraf Hakimi. Granted, Kompany was leading the touchlines for that encounter, but there’s no reason to suggest this Bayern team cannot get the job done without him there.
