Bayern Munich, Benfica, Feyenoord and Club Brugge secured crucial first-leg wins in their UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoffs ahead of intriguing second leg fixtures.
Bayern Hold on to Beat Celtic in Thrilling Glasgow Clash
Bayern Munich won 2-1 away at Celtic with goals from Harry Kane and Michael Olise. Nicolas Kuhn had an early goal ruled out for offside before Olise blasted a shot on the stroke of halftime. Kane made it 2-0 in the 49th minute, volleying in Joshua Kimmich’s corner. Celtic replied via Daizen Maeda’s 79th-minute header, which produced a nail-biting conclusion. But Manuel Neuer made a key save in stoppage time, denying Alistair Johnston, to help allow Vincent Kompany’s side into the second leg in Munich with a narrow advantage.
Kane’s goal brought him to 46 Champions League goal involvements (36 goals, 10 assists), third all time among Englishmen behind David Beckham and Wayne Rooney in the competition’s history. Maeda meanwhile became the first Celtic player ever to net four goals in a single Champions League campaign.
Benfica Beats 10-Man Monaco as Pavlidis Scores
Benfica scraped by Monaco 1-0 at Stade Louis II, where Vangelis Pavlidis converted with calm composure after the break. The Greek striker deftly lifted over Radoslaw Majecki to open the scoring, and after Lamine Al Musrati of Monaco was handed a second yellow card, the hosts were down to 10 men. A deafening bomb threat did nothing to hinder a dominant Benfica side from taking the lead but not extending their margin of victory, though the history books will show that their third consecutive win on the road in the Champions League is their longest new series since 1989-90.
Antonio Silva also became the youngest Portuguese player to reach 20 Champions League appearances at 21 years and 105 days, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record.
Feyenoord Shock Milan With Goalkeeping Error
Feyenoord capitalized on a goalkeeper mistake to beat AC Milan, 1-0. Igor Paixao’s speculative attempt slipped through Mike Maignan’s hands in the third minute, the Dutch club’s quickest Champions League goal since 1971. Milan struggled to create chances, with Feyenoord coming closer through Paixao, who hit the crossbar, and Ronald Koeman. The Italian giants have now not won any of their last 12 away matches in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Brugge Take Dramatic Late Win Over Atalanta
A Gustaf Nilsson penalty in the 94th minute gave Club Brugge a 2-1 win over Atalanta in a match packed with controversy. Brugge led through Ferran Jutgla in the 15th minute but Mario Pasalic equalized. Nilsson then hit and converted a controversial penalty, completing Brugge’s first win over an Italian team since 2003. Atalanta, however, are still in the tie as they travel back to Bergamo for the return match.
