How Bayern fought back against Juventus

Belief key to Bayern comeback
Losing at home just is not an option for Bayern München – especially in the UEFA Champions League – as they demonstrated in their thrilling 4-2 extra-time win against Juventus. But at half time in the Fußball Arena München, Josep Guardiola and his side looked on the brink of a shock early exit from the competition.

"Ninety-nine per cent of people will have thought [at half-time] that we were unable to come back," Robert Lewandowski said. "But we are Bayern München, we can never think that a match is beyond us." Just like Juventus in the first leg, the German champions were not going to give up without a fight.

It was Lewandowski who dragged Bayern back into the tie in the 73rd minute, before Thomas Müller's last-gasp equaliser took the game to extra time. "We always have belief," Müller said. "You just have to keep trying and it pays off, as you saw tonight."

Bayern not immune to mistakes
The biggest concern for Guardiola will be how easily Juventus were allowed to penetrate the defensive line. "I said before the match that you cannot make mistakes against a team like Juve," said captain Philipp Lahm. "We simply made too many mistakes and were punished for it."

In addition to the rare defensive mix-up between David Alaba and Manuel Neuer that led to Paul Pogba's fifth-minute opener, Bayern were sloppy in possession at times and too easily put under pressure when Juventus broke forward. Had Álvaro Morata, who broke to make it 2-0 after one such slip, had taken one of his two second-half chances, the tie would have been dead and buried long before Lewandowski's strike revived Bayern's hopes.

Well-timed changes make the difference
Guardiola made the mistake pre-match of assuming Juventus would sit back and "wait for a single chance to score". Instead, Massimiliano Allegri's side came flying out the blocks and took the game to Bayern, forcing them onto the back foot and taking an early lead.

The home side struggled to cope with Juventus's aggressive, pressing style in the first half, but as the Italian champions slowly began to drop back in the hope of closing out the game, Guardiola made crucial tactical changes that made all the difference.

"I asked them to play more down the wings, with [Franck] Ribéry and [Douglas] Costa," the Bayern coach revealed. A tactic which proved fruitful, with both Lewandowski's and Müller's goals come from wide crosses.

Kingsley Coman – the unsung hero
Coman's introduction in the second half against his parent club proved a turning point for the German champions - his pace, energy and dangerous crosses causing immediate problems for the Juventus defence. The Frenchman provided the vital assist for Müller's added-time equaliser, before dribbling half the length of the pitch and curling in for Bayern's fourth.

The summer signing loan from Juventus now has the five assists in the competition this season, equal best with Alexis Sánchez and Neymar, as well as two goals of his own. At just 19, he is proving to be one of Europe's hottest young talents, and holding his own in a squad full of world-class attacking players.

Goals guaranteed in Munich
Despite the Bianconeri's best efforts to deny the Bayern goal machine, Lewandowski, Müller and Co. continued the German champions' exceptional run this season of scoring at least four goals at home in the UEFA Champions League, albeit requiring extra time on this occasion.

"We scored four goals against an Italian team and last year's finalists," boasted a proud Guardiola after the match. It may have taken 73 minutes to break down Juventus, but scoring four against one of the best defensive teams in Europe will only boost Bayern's confidence going into the quarter-finals – at least at home.