Atletico Madrid haunted Carlo Ancelotti and Bayern Munich again as they repeated their 1-0 win from last season’s Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.
Ancelotti hadn’t beaten Atleti in his last six trips to the Vicente Calderon as Real Madrid boss, but he came into the match having won all eight of his opening games with Bayern, who themselves were seeking revenge against a similarly-unbeaten Atleti for their elimination from the Champions League last four back in May.
The Bavarians had the game’s first chance as Thiago Alcantara’s lovely ball over the top for Thomas Muller was taken down by the forward in the box, but Jan Oblak got a strong left hand to the ball.
Yannick Carrasco then dropped his shoulder and pulled to the right before smashing a low shot on target, which Manuel Neuer had to push away, before Fernando Torres hit the post from a yard out after a corner was knocked onto the striker at the back post, with Manuel Neuer beaten.
Antoine Griezmann clipped a cross into the box for Torres to slide past Neuer, but the No 9 missed it by a whisker, slicing a finish wide from point-blank range moments later.
However, Torres was ignored on a third occasion as Griezmann slipped in Carrasco, who opted to go it alone rather than tee up the local lad and angled a strike in off Neuer’s post.
Bayern subsequently began to turn their possession into chances, but Muller’s diving header at the far post from a corner only landed in Oblak’s side-netting and David Alaba’s shot from the edge of the box was parried away by Oblak.
Thiago was lucky to stay on the pitch as he twice escaped with warnings, despite being booked before the break, but Ancelotti elected to bring off Muller first.
Opportunities were at a premium in the second half, giving all the more reason to Robert Lewandowski to take his, the Pole unmarked when he glanced a free kick inches wide.
Yet it was Atleti who came closest to scoring the game’s second goal as Arturo Vidal charged into Filipe Luis at a rate of knots in the area, but Griezmann blasted his spot-kick onto the crossbar.
In a minute of madness for Vidal, the midfielder lost his footing when sliding through Saul Niguez and was lucky that his booking wasn’t followed by a serious ankle injury.
Diego Godin, without a goal so far in 2016, had a volley deflected over at Neuer’s near post right at the death, but Gameiro could only smash the rebound from the resulting corner into side-netting.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich
Carrasco 35
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Juanfran, Godin, Savic, Filipe; Gabi, Saul, Koke Carrasco (Gameiro 72); Griezmann (Thomas 90), Torres (Gaitan 79)
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng (Hummels 62), Martinez, Alaba; Alonso, Vidal, Thiago (Kimmich 66); Muller (Robben 59), Lewandowski, Ribery
Referee: Marcinak [POL]
