Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in their final Champions League group game on Tuesday but nonetheless reached the last 16 as winners of their pool.
With Atleti having already achieved top spot, there was consequently little to play for at the Allianz Arena, making for a disappointing spectacle.
Yannick Carrasco led Los Colchoneros’ forward line alongside Antoine Griezmann and had the game’s first two chances fall his way, although his low shot was saved by the legs of Manuel Neuer after the makeshift striker had latched onto a through ball in the Bayern box.
The Belgian was then found unmarked in the area via a cutback, yet his first-time finish was straight at Neuer.
Arjen Robben, meanwhile, was found at Jan Oblak’s back post from a chipped pass, but the winger’s ball back into the area was blocked and Atleti eventually cleared their lines.
Moments later, the ball dropped to Arturo Vidal in the Atleti D, but the midfielder scuffed his shot, resulting in an easy save for Oblak.
Nonetheless, Bayern grew in stature and took a deserved lead when Robert Lewandowski curled a free kick over the wall and into the back of Oblak’s net.
Bayern sleepwalked through the second half yet remained the dominant party, David Alaba restarting things by blasting the ball at Oblak on the volley in Atleti’s D, which the goalkeeper caught.
Atleti promptly brought on strikers Kevin Gameiro and Angel Correa for Carrasco and fellow midfielder Nicolas Gaitan for the final half-hour, but they still had to survive Lewandowski sending a free header over from Robben’s cross.
Douglas Costa finally clipped the ball into the penalty area for an apparent Thiago Alcantara tap-in, however the midfielder scoops it over from a yard out.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Atletico Madrid
Lewandowski 28
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Rafinha, Hummels, Alaba, Bernat; Vidal, Sanches, Thiago; Robben (Kimmich 83), Lewandowski (Muller 80), Costa (Martinez 87)
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Vrsaljko, Savic, Godin, Lucas; Gabi, Koke (Thomas 68), Saul, Gaitan (Correa 60); Carrasco (Gameiro 60), Griezmann
Referee: Turpin (FRA)
