Bayern Munich look set to survive the new UEFA Champions League playoffs round, while AC Milan joined Atalanta BC and AS Monaco in losing their first-leg games on Wednesday.
Bayern got high-class strikes from Michael Olise and Harry Kane either side of halftime in a 2-1 win against Scottish champions Celtic. The return game is scheduled for Tuesday in Munich.
“The [Celtic] fans haven’t seen many losses here, especially in Europe, so we appreciate the importance of the game and the victory,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said.
Photo: AFP
Bayern had joined Real Madrid and Manchester City as Champions League title winners in the past five years who surprisingly found themselves in the playoffs because they finished outside the top eight in the new 36-team single standings format. Madrid won 3-2 against Manchester on Tuesday.
Feyenoord’s goal in a rain-soaked 1-0 win over Milan came in the third minute and relied in France goalkeeper Mike Maignan spilling Igor Paixao’s shot into the net. Feyenoord’s Brazilian winger gave Milan new signing Kyle Walker a tough first game in the competition for the seven-time European champions.
It also was a quick winning start for Feyenoord’s interim coach Pascal Bosschaart in his first game after the firing on Monday of Brian Priske.
SL Benfica won 1-0 against Monaco, with another goal from Vangelis Pavlidis, a delicate chip shot in the 48th minute. Monaco had Al Musrati sent off four minutes later.
Club Brugge scored with a disputed penalty-kick in stoppage-time to beat Atalanta 2-1. That was a meeting of teams who finished 24th and ninth respectively in the 36-team standings two weeks ago.
The top eight teams in those standings advanced directly to next month’s round-of-16, leaving Nos. 9 to 24 to compete this month for eight more entries in playoffs over back-to-back midweeks.
Harry Kane loves scoring against Kasper Schmeichel, his longtime rival in Tottenham Hotspur-Leicester City and England-Denmark games.
Bayern star Kane’s sharp volley in the 49th minute, when left unmarked at the back post at a corner, was his 19th career goal past Schmeichel, more than any other goalkeeper he has faced.
It was a second impressive goal conceded by Schmeichel, who was helpless against Michael Olise’s rising left-footed shot in the 45th minute.
On a tough evening for Celtic’s all-American central defense of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty, the Scottish champions have more hope on Tuesday thanks to Japan forward Daizen Maeda cutting the deficit late on.
“At 2-1, Bayern are hanging on,” Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers said. “Let’s go and have no regrets and see where it takes us. We’ve shown we can play football and be a threat.”
Benfica’s Greece forward Pavlidis might be the most in-form striker in the Champions League. It is now six goals in the competition and five in the past three games, including a hat-trick against Barcelona.
The 26-year-old latched onto a pass from the halfway line and shrugged off defender Mohammed Salisu before neatly clipping the ball over goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki in the 48th minute.
A late clash between two Sweden teammates was decisive in Club Brugge’s 2-1 win over Atalanta.
Entering stoppage-time, Atalanta defender Isak Hien was judged to have raised a hand into the face of Brugge forward Gustaf Nilsson as they chased a loose ball.
Turkish referee Umut Meler awarded a penalty and showed yellow cards to three Atalanta players, including Hien, for protesting before Nilsson won the game. He sent goalkeeper Rui Patricio the wrong way with his spot-kick.
“We are now going in a direction outside of what football should be, but beyond the controversy, we now have to accept these rules that I no longer recognize,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini told broadcaster Sky Italia of the penalty decision.
Brugge had led on former Barcelona forward Ferran Jutgla‘s shot in the 15th minute and Atalanta leveled in the 41st minute on Mario Pasalic’s header.
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