Bayern Munich steamrolled past Salzburg while Inter kept things interesting at Anfield
Bayern Munich and Liverpool became the first teams to punch their tickets to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday. The Bavarians made it through after beating Red Bull Salzburg 7–1 on an 8–2 aggregate score, showing a 22-minute Robert Lewandowski hat-trick at the Allianz Arena. Meanwhile, the Reds suffered a rare 1–0 loss to Inter Milan at Anfield in the second leg, although a 2–0 win at the San Siro in the first leg gave Jurgen Klopp's side enough cushion to advance.
These matches couldn't be more different, so let's know what you need to know.
Bayern and Lewandowski run riot
The Polish superstar was back to his absolute best with a record treble in under 23 minutes, two of which came from penalty spots as he leveled with Sebastian Haller at the top of the scoring charts for this edition of UCL. Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Thomas Müller (twice) joined the act, with Kingsley Koman up the east and Leroy Sane assisted Müller twice before Lewandowski thanked him as Julian Nagelsmann's men made their way to the Austrian side. Ripped with an attack-minded setup.
What could have happened for the 10-man inter
Inter Milan became the first team to beat Liverpool at Anfield in a year (Fulham from 7 March 2021), despite finishing the night with an xG of 0.30, but they missed out on a goal sending the match to extra time . Simone Inzaghi would have wondered what could have happened, especially as his team had 29 minutes after the opening goal to find another breakthrough.
A great goal from outside the box from Lautaro MartÃnez put Inter 1–0 ahead in the 61st minute, but after only two minutes they could celebrate being ahead, they were reduced to 10 men. Alexis Sanchez was dismissed for a second yellow card for a stud-up challenge on Thiago. While it was a bit of a sell on the cards by Thiago, Sanchez put himself in a position that hurt his team. After being reduced to 10, he got no bite in a winnable match. Lautaro's goal will be Inter's last shot on the night.
Two yellows and Alexis Sanchez is off. Fair decision? 👀 pic.twitter.com/exQGJF7IF5
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 8, 2022
Salzburg can hold their head high
The nature of this defeat should not take away from a historic Champions League loss for Salzburg. Matthias Jaisal's men have put Austria back on the football map with this performance and will not be underestimated next time around. Will the German next campaign at the Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siesenheim after winning a lot of fans this season? The same can be said for young Brendan Aarons, who has caught the attention of the Premier League and was a rare bright spot at this disappointing end to his adventure.
Wicked woodworking
Defensively, Liverpool did more than enough to see the match through, thanks to another strong performance from Virgil van Dijk, but up front, he showed the woodwork several times during the match when finishing. When it comes to how thin the margin is. Joel Matip had the best chance to hit the post with a header in the 30th minute after a superb delivery from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Then it was Mohamed Salah's turn to hit the woodwork in the 51st and 75th minutes when Liverpool looked to end the tie. Those two omissions - Salah generally puts those homes at ease - had a combined xG of 0.67. A missed opportunity was Cherry Luis Diaz's at the top of Liverpool's finishing crisis in the 91st minute thanks to a timely intervention from Arturo Vidal.
While omissions don't matter as they move into the next round, it is something the Reds will need to clean up as margins only get tighter on the business end of the Champions League. It could also be the difference between thrashing Manchester City for the Premier League title or coming in second.
Goal of the day
LAUTARO. GOLAZO. GAME ON. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/zVsKg1ZcFl
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 8, 2022
Bayern Munich vs Salzburg may have scored eight goals, but none until Martinez's finish from outside the box.
Player rating
Robert Lewandowski: A record hat-trick and an assist for a very impressive comeback for the Poland international. Rating: 9
Leroy Sane: Two goals and an assist for the German in one of the most convincing Champions League appearances with Bayern so far. Rating: 8
Brendan Aarons: The USMNT star held on to the end and provided an assist for Salzburg's only goal, but the collective was disappointing given how bright they started. Rating: 6
Maximilian Wober: Some Salzburg defenders covered themselves with glory, but the 24-year-old was at fault especially early on as he was called for two penalties on Lewandowski, which immediately decided the tie in Bayern's favour. Rating: 2
Virgil van Dijk: What a performance as van Dijk and Liverpool defence. The Mo member of the Backline lost the night in an aerial duel. He didn't miss a single ground duel, and could get a late assist when he played in Andrew Robertson. Rating: 9
Diogo Jota: Another anonymous performance since his return from injury, Jota was a ghost on the pitch and could not take a single shot. Rating: 6
Milan Skriniar: A big reason for Jota's ineffectiveness, Skrinier has again shown why he is one of the best defenders in Serie A. Nine clearances and four recoveries helped protect his keeper. Rating: 8
Inter Milan Midfield: While no Nicolo Barella was a jerk, each midfielder combined created three chances and landed only one goal with two shots. No one was particularly effective at driving the ball upwards and caught Alexis Sanchez and Lautaro MartÃnez too far. Rating: 4