Bayern Munich wins the Champions League: 3 things we learned

Bayern Munich powered past Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Lisbon to win this year’s Champions League. Here’s what we learned.

Amid a sea of confetti inside Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz, Bayern Munich lifted the Champions League on Sunday to complete a historic treble, officially closing out the European soccer season.

It was an unusual Champions League. Bayern’s 1-0 win in the final came after the coronavirus pandemic put a pause on the tournament in mid-March. Once the the Champions League resumed earlier this month, it had to be played in the bubble of Lisbon from the quarterfinal stage on (and with no fans in the stands) in order to limit travel and keep players safe from the infection.

What ensued were several upsets, primarily a result of the single-elimination format. Bayern’s victory against Paris Saint-Germain came after a scoreless first half and a game highlighted by plenty of chances on both sides.

It was a fitting end to a wonderful tournament. With the 2020 Champions League in the history books, here are three things we learned.

Bayern completes fantastic season

This Bayern side will be remembered for a long time for just how dominant they were throughout this season. After winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in Germany this season, Bayern’s non-stop attack steamrolled through the knockout rounds of the Champions League. For coach Hansi Flick’s squad, the win marked their sixth European title and first since 2013.

While the final only featured one goal (more on that later), this was a Bayern team that entered the final having scored 42 goals over the course of 10 matches in this competition. Bayern’s Polish-born striker Robert Lewandowski finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 15 goals.

Native son deals lethal blow

It was a header by winger Kingley Coman in the 59th minute that gave Bayern Munich the trophy. It was added irony that Coman, a Frenchman who was born in Paris, had broken the deadlock. Coman had once been a PSG player and later sold to Italian club Juventus. It was during the 2013-14 season that Coman became the youngest player ever to take the field for PSG when he made his debut at age 16.

Quick and technically gifted, Coman was able to sneak past the stingy PSG defense to put Bayern ahead. That Coman was able to score the first goal, and not the prolific Lewandowski, lent support to the theory that Bayern’s success this season has been part of a team effort and not solely dependent on individual stars.

Both goalkeepers kept it close

Bayern veteran Manuel Neuer had a big game; so did PSG’s Keylor Navas, who started despite having to miss the semifinals because of a hamstring injury. In the end, both goalies kept the scoreline tight with a series of saves, particularly in the first half.

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It was the first time since the tournament restart that Bayern had failed to score in the opening half of a game. A Lewandowski shot did hit the post in the 22nd minute, just before Angel Di Maria’s attempt on a PSG breakaway was saved by Neuer.

It was no surprise that both Neuer and Navas were at the center of most of the action given the wonderful offensive players on both sides. In the end, however, Bayern did more and prevailed.