Bayern Munich 2-0 Barcelona: summary: score, goals, highlights, Champions League 2022-23

SOCCER

Barcelona and Atlético pay for lapses at both ends of the pitch

AS honorary president Alfredo Relaño offers his thoughts on Barcelona and Atlético Madrid's Champions League defeats on Tuesday.

Bayern 2-0 Barça (match report)

Bayern Munich scored twice in four minutes against the run of play through Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane to beat Barcelona 2-0 in their Champions League Group C match on Tuesday.

It was an unhappy return to Munich for Barca striker Robert Lewandowski, who left the Bavarians in the summer after eight years, with the Germans now top of their group on six points from two matches.

Barcelona are on three points, along with Inter. Viktoria Plzen are in last place. Barcelona were dominant for 50 minutes and have only themselves to blame for not taking the lead, with Lewandowski coming close twice and Pedri and Gavi also missing golden chances.

The hosts, who had keeper Manuel Neuer to thank for keeping them in the game, scored five minutes after the restart with defender Hernandez's header from a corner. Before Barcelona had time to regroup, Bayern struck again when Jamal Musiala flicked a perfect pass for Sane and the Germany international slipped the ball past keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Pedri hit the post in the 63rd as Barca tried to bounce back but the Germans comfortably held on for the three points. They next host Czech side Plzen on Oct. 4. (Reuters)

Bayern move to the top of Group C

That's surely it in Munich... Indeed the whistle sounds and it's a Bayern Munich win. 

Xavi and his side fall to their first defeat of the season.

Lucas Hernandez has pulled up with a groin injury. 

Ansu Fati has a shot from outside the box as Xavi cuts an anxious figure on the Barcelona bench.

A game of two halves and decided by Bayern's ability to finish ther chances.

We'll have three minutes of added time.

Next up for Bayern is a trip to nearby Augsburg in the Bundesliga with Barcelona facing Elche in the Spanish league.

Player of the match tonight: Bayern defender Upamecano... A rock for the home side and insrumental in keeping Kewy at bay, especvially in the second half.

Into the final five we go and it looks like Xavi's men are about to taste defeat for the first time this season.

and a Bayern sub too: Gravenberch for Musiala

Dembele off with Ansu Fati on

Barcelona subs: Kessie for Busquets

The Polish striker takes and drives into the wall.

Bayern changes:

Sane off Tel his replacement. 

Barcelona win a dangerous free just outside the Bayern box....

Marcos Alonso over the ball and ideal for a left boot.

Kimmich carded as he hauls back De Jong.

Into the final 15' we go and it doesn't look like Barcelona will be able to claw their way back into the game. Neuer has had little or nothing to do in the second half. 

Barcelona switch: Christensen off and Garcia on 

Mane off (he's been quiet it has to be said tonight)

Gnabry on for Bayern

Great skill from Dembele as he skips past a handful of Bayern defenders but once again there is no way past Upamecano.

It's been a compelling contest between Lewandowski and Upamecano tonight and as things stand the younger defender is shading things.

Pedri does everything right, beats the offside flag and clips the ball onto the post with Neuer beaten. Best chance of the night for the visiting side.

Barcelona subs

Off: Gavi & Raphina

On: De Jong and Torres

Heading towards the hour mark and what a turnaround we've seen at the start of this second half. 

Dembele and Raphina have yet to get going in the second 45'.

First time Barcelona have been behind all season... How will Xavi's men respond? His men were very much in control for large swathes of the first half and will now be rueing the Lewy misses.

Sane.. 2-0 Bayern

Barcelona seem rattled by that goal as the noise levels at the Allianz are cranked up to 11!

A huge test of character now for the visiting side. 

Lucas Hernandez latches onto the corner kick and heads past Ter Stegen to the delight of the home fans

Goretzka strikes and forces Ter Stegen to make a fine save...

Busquets carded for a rash challenge on Musiala.

So close from Raphina as the Brazilian strikes and is agonizingly close.... Bayern asleep at the start of the half with the former Leeds man given acres of space.

Bayern start the action and off we go again...

Goretzka is on with Sabitzer making way

Live Group C table

The draw in Munich sees both Barcelona and Bayern top Group C with four points. Inter are next up for Barcelona after the forthcoming international break.

All square at the break

The whistle sounds and that brings the end to a riveting first 45 minutes. Barcelona have enjoyed the better of the chances with Lewandowski offered two great chances. 

Bayern have had a few half chances but have a real test on their hands against an impressive looking LaLiga side.

We'll have one minute of added time.

Mazraoui comes to Bayen's rescue as he blocks a Lewandowski shot with the goal at his mercy.

Muller and Mane collide just as a fine ball was threaded across. Bayern patient with their build-up. 

Less than five reman of the first half ...it was a frantic first 25 minutes or so but the tempo has dropped as we head towards the interval.

A slight lull in the frantic tempo we've enjoyed in this opening 35 minutes or so. Both teams have already put in a major shift. Barcelona were in action last weekend against Cadiz running out with a 0-4 win as Bayern drew with Stuttgart.

All square at the 30 minute mark.

An excellent game so far with Barcelona enjoying the bulk of the chances with Sabitzer drilling the ball just past the Barcelona post.

Now it's Barcelona's turn to ride out the Bayern pressure as Sane drills the ball into the box and Kounde pounces to clear.

It really is breathless stuff here in Munich. 

Raphina goes so close as his left foot effort drifts inches by Neuer's post. That's three decent chances for the Catalan side now. 

Bayern yet to really test Ter Stegen. 

Barcelona shading things (just) possession-wise.

Lewandowski goes close again as he heads on target but Neuer is on hand to avert the danger.

Mazraoui on for the injured Pavard.

Bad news for Bayern as it looks like Pavard may not be able to carry on.... 

First card of the night goes to Sabitzer as he clps Busquets.

Lewandowski has got to score there as Dembele feeds Gavi who slips through a pin-point ball to the Polish strker who takes a touch and blazes over from 6 yards out.

Alphonso Davies is looking sharp tonight. The Canadian player has shone for Bayern so far tonight with the game so delicately poised... both teams enjoying spells of domination. 

Alonso with Barcelona's first corner of the night... Easy for Neuer as the German stopper grabs the ball. 

Neuer with a clanger... gives the ball to Lewandowski and it's Upamecano who comes to the rescue.

Raphina and Dembele are getting more of the ball now and Barcelona look pretty dangerous every time this pair are in action.

End to end stuff here as Barcelona now maraude forward and Neuer is called into action to deny Pedri. Decent chance for the visitors.

Good from Bayern as Musiala almost weaves into a shooting position but is muscled out by Marcos Alonso. The home side now, slowly starting to establish control on the action.

Pavard and Marcos Alonso collide and it's the French player who seems to have suffered as he lies on the pitch and slowly makes his way back to his position.

Great noise levels being generated by the home fans .... Both sides just easing their way into the game

We're underway... the visitors start the action

Danny Makkelie, tonight's Dutch ref oversees the pre-game protocol and we're all set for the action at the Allianz .... Bayern in all red, Barcelona in their third kit of grey with a azul-grana cross.

The sides are in the tunnel and it's a case of hugs all round from Lewandowski from the current Bayern team. Despite leaving the German club with a hint of bad blood with the board, it's clear that the Polish striker s fondly regarded by the players and Bayern fans.

Just minutes away now from kick-off and a massive European night awaits as two of the continents biggest sides do battle. Barcelona will be gunning to avenge the 2020 Lisbon 8-2 humbling and Xavi will look to pull through the first major task of the new season with his squad. 

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a draw tonight in Munich. A result that would suit all at this early stage of the competition.

Lewandowski receives warm reception on Munich return

Current FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski receives warm reception from the Bayern Munich fans on his first return to the Bundesliga side following his move to the Catalan club last summer.

Shock result coming through from Lisbon as Spurs fall to a 2-0 win away to Sporting. The Portuguese side now top Group D with two wins from 2 games.

All over in Plzen and Inter get off the mark with a 0-2 win... Dzeko and Dumfries on target for the Milanese giants who get off the mark and join level with Bayern and FC Barcelona.

30 minutes to kick-off in Munich and tonight arguably presents the biggest test to date in Xavi's spell on the Camp Nou bench.

Last year, the coach could claim that he inherited a team that was not his but after a busy summer with club president Laporta activating the now infamous 'financial levers' major talents have been acquired by the Catalan giants and this is now very much Xavi Hernandez's team.

Life without Lewy

With arguably the best number nine in the game gone, Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann wanted to evolve his team, making them less reliant on one figure for so many goals and spreading the responsibility.

Sadio Mane joined from Liverpool as the de facto replacement, and before the DFL-Super Cup win against RB Leipzig, Nagelsmann admitted: "When we agreed to Barcelona's offer [for Lewandowski], it was planned that we might not sign anyone else for this position."

The theory was that the likes of Mane, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, fresh from signing a new contract, could increase their output in front of goal, while the ever reliable Muller and the increasingly promising Jamal Musiala would also be potent sources.

Things certainly started well enough with a 5-3 win against Leipzig, followed by a 6-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in their opening Bundesliga game.

After a 2-0 victory at home to Wolfsburg, Bayern put seven past Bochum and talk of a lack of goals could not have been further from anyone's lips.

​​​​​​However, three draws in a row in the league against Borussia Monchengladbach, Union Berlin and Stuttgart have followed, which has seen Union emerge as the surprise Bundesliga leaders after six games.

In those games, Bayern have scored a total of 19 goals, with 10 different scorers, registering 12 points in the Bundesliga.

Other Group C game:

Viktoria Plzen are at home to Inter in the oher Group C game tonight with the clash in the Czech Republic starting earlier.

With over 70 minutes on the clock, the Serie A side lead 0-2.

'House of Horrors'

Barcelona have never won at Bayern, who have triumphed in the last four meetings between the clubs with an overall score of 17-4, including an 8-2 thrashing in the 2020 quarter-finals.

While Xavi acknowledged the task in front of Barca is daunting, he said his side should have no fear going to Munich. ‘I wouldn’t call it the house of horrors - it’s just Bayern’s ground,’ Xavi said. ‘I’ve seen both sides of the coin, beating them heavily and losing heavily against them, but we have never won at the Allianz and this speaks of how difficult a place it is to go and the task at hand, but we’re optimistic.

‘We can’t be over-confident just because we’ve had good results lately. We need to remember what it was like playing against them last year, but I’ll be happy if we play to our potential and if we do that then I think we can win and change history.’

Many Barcelona fans concerned about the inclusion of Marcos Alonso in the starting XI for the game in Munich. A big test for the defender who dons a Barça shirt for the first time. 

Xavi names Barça XI

Raphina, Dembele and Lewandowski will lead the Barcelona attack tonight at the Allianz Arena. Barcelona have shipped 14 goals in their past three UCL meetings with Bayern and will feature a back four of Alonso (who makes his FCB debut), Kounde, Araujo and Christensen.

Bayern XI

Julian Nagelsmann names his starting XI for the Group C clash against Barcelona and Thomas Muller will lead the line for the Bundesliga side with the veteran striker having a habit of finding the target against the Catalan outfit. 

Domestically, both Bayern and Barcelona remain unbeaten but neither side currently tops their respective league.

In Germany, Union Berlin are surprise leaders with the club from the capital also unbeaten and on top with 14 points. Bayern lie in third place with the Bavarians on 12 points from three wins and three draws.

In Spain, it's a 1-2 from the traditional 'big 2' with Real Madrid on 15 points from five wins with Barcelona in second place on 13 following one draw (vs Rayo) and four victories.

Bayern-Barça: past five UCL meetings

December 2021: Bayern 3-0 Barcelona, matchday 6 Group E

The last meetings between the European giants came last December at an empty Allianz Arena (as a Covid-19 precaution) where the German side condemned the Catalans to Europa League and a third place finish in the group. Goals from Sane, Muller and Musiala were enough to see the Bundesliga giants to secure three points and a 100% group stage record.

September 2021: Barcelona 0-3 Bayern, matchday 1 Group E

The gulf in class between Barcelona and Bayern was clear to see from the off last season with the German’s outclassing the Catalans with three goals without reply from the Bavarians exposed the distance between both teams. Robert Lewandowski was on target twice against, what would be his future side with Thomas Muller opening the score just after he half hour mark.

August 2020: Barcelona 2-8 Bayern, UCL 19-20 quarter-final

Possibly the lowest point for the club this decade as the Catalan side were humiliated at an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon with the pandemic forcing UEFA to play the final games of the competition in a ‘bubble’ in the Portuguese capital.

The German side were five goals ahead at the break and the effect and impact of the result saw immediate changes at the Catalan club with sporting director and head coach Eric Abidal and Quique Setien exiting following Barcelona’s biggest defeat for 69 years.

May 2015: Bayern 3-2 Barcelona, UCL 14-15 semi-final

The second leg of the 2105 semi-final was as good as done and dusted after Neymar bagged a first half brace to secure a significant aggregate advantage for the LaLiga side and despite two goals from Lewandowski and Muller, the Catalan side advanced to the final where they would face Juventus and ultimately lift the title with a 1-3 win in the Berlin final.

May 2015: Barcelona 3-0 Bayern, UCL 14-15 semi-final

This was the last UCL win for Barça over the Bavarian side with a double from Leo Messi and a late Neymar third putting Pep Guardiola’s side in pole position in the first leg of the sem-final.

Bayern unbeaten in 29 UCL group stage games

An incredible run from the Bundesliga side with a group stage unbeaten run dating back to 2017.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Bayern vs Barcelona: Who has won the Champions League more times?

Possible Barcelona XI

Barcelona travel to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday as Xavi attempts to pull off a result that has eluded all of his forebears in the Camp Nou hotseat: victory in the Allianz Arena. 

Barça have played Bayern a total of 13 times in official European competition and have only won two of those encounters, with two draws. The Bundesliga giants have dominated the historical rivalry and in the three most recent meetings between the sides Barcelona have barely laid a glove on their opponents: the 8-2 trouncing in Lisbon in the 2020 quarterfinals was followed by two 3-0 defeats in the group stage last season.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Bellerín, Koundé, Araújo, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Gavi, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembélé

Lewandowski 'Pichichi'

The Polish striker has started the campaign in tremendous form and is already the top scorer in LaLiga having bagged six goals for Barcelona in their opening five league games.

Lewy at Bayern

Overall, the Polish striker scored 344 goals and recorded 57 assists in 375 appearances for Bayern, and in the 2020-21 campaign, he broke Gerd Muller's long-standing Bundesliga record by scoring 41 times in a single season, while his 43 league goals in 2021 serve as the record for a calendar year in Germany's top tier.

Last season, Lewandowski scored 50 goals across all competitions, the most across Europe's top five leagues, as Bayern lifted their 10th Bundesliga title in a row.

In all, he won eight league titles, three DFB-Pokal's, as well as a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

All eyes will be focused on one man however tonight as Robert Lewandowski returns to Munich for the first time since departing the Bavarian side during the summer.

Without doubt, the biggest fixture this midweek as Bayern Munich welcome FC Barcelona with a start at 21:00 CEST (local time) or 3:00 pm (ET) / 12:00 pm (PT).

Hello and welcome to our Matchday 2 live Champions League coverage as tonight we focus on the action at the Allianz Arena in Munich.