Panaji: Bayern Munich earned a crucial 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League, with Jamal Musiala scoring the only goal of the match in the second half. The victory was important for Bayern, who had suffered back-to-back defeats in Europe and were struggling to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Bayern dominated possession throughout the match but struggled to create clear chances against a well-organized Benfica defence. The home crowd remained unusually silent in support of a fan who was hospitalized before the game. Despite the lack of vocal support, Bayern managed to find a breakthrough late in the game.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Musiala headed in a cross from Harry Kane to give Bayern the lead. The goal came after some impressive work from Leroy Sané, who provided the assist for Kane, who in turn set up Musiala. The goal secured Bayern’s first victory in their Champions League group after losses to Aston Villa and Barcelona earlier in the campaign.
Despite the three points, Bayern still have work to do in the competition, especially with this season's Champions League final set to be played at their home stadium. Currently, Bayern sit in 17th place in their group, just behind Dinamo Zagreb. In their next match, they will face Paris Saint-Germain, another tough opponent in the race for qualification.
After the match, Musiala expressed his satisfaction with the win, saying, "We had good moments. The opponent defended well. It was very important to get three points today. We don’t have to win every game by four or five goals. Sometimes 1-0 is enough. We had to be patient. Now we carry on and look to the next game."
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany also spoke about the importance of patience in the win, saying, "Sometimes it's good to win like this, even though we prefer to win by three or four goals. I knew we needed to stay calm, and we did that well. It was a good game and a good win."
Bayern's attack, which had been clinical in their 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the opener, struggled to break down Benfica’s defence. The best chance of the first half came from Serge Gnabry, whose half-volley was saved well by Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Captain Manuel Neuer spoke about the atmosphere in the stadium, noting that the players "didn't celebrate in the cabin like we normally would" due to a medical emergency in the stands before the match.
Bayern Munich’s next game is on Saturday against St Pauli in Hamburg, just before the international break.
