Bayern Munich struggles in Champions League round of 16 first leg that's only memorable for Shakhtar Donetsk
Yuck.
That was ugly.
In the last few years, Bayern Munich has spoiled us with their effervescent soccer. And that makes it all the more jarring when they have a total off-day like they did in its unsightly 0-0 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
[FC Yahoo: Thibaut Courtois saves Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain]
In the first leg of this round of 16 matchup in the UEFA Champions League, Bayern resumed its campaign to reclaim the prize it won two seasons ago. The game was held in Lviv, in Western Ukraine, because the ongoing conflict in the east has chased Shakhtar from its home base. That actually put this contest closer to Munich than Donetsk. But it was hardly a home game for the Bavarians.
[FC Yahoo: Champions League Live – Tuesday's Round of 16 first legs as they happened]
In Shakhtar, a rich club that has dominated Ukraine with its endless reserves of cash and Brazilian attackers, Bayern found a pesky opponent that wasn't going to let Pep Guardiola and his charges tiki-taka them to death. Shakhtar pressed the Germans high and hard.
[FC Yahoo: Champions League power rankings – Who's the team to beat?]
That made for a tough and testy game, with little room and fewer chances. Most of all, it made for a grotesque and unwatchable non-spectacle. The Ukrazilians were so effective at throwing Bayern off its finely honed game – throwing entire sandbags into that carefully crafted clockwork – that the Germans grew immensely frustrated. They were booked with five yellow cards in all, two of which went to Xabi Alonso, who was sent off in his 100th Champions League appearance for tripping Alex Teixeira.
[FC Yahoo: Champions League stars under the most pressure to perform]
There wasn't a whole lot else to report from this game. Bayern's Bastian Schweinsteiger had an early chance, which he volleyed wide, after Arjen Robben found him inside the box with a chip. And Robben's very late, swerving shot, off his signature cut into the area from out wide on the right, slapped a sliding defender in the face and collided with his hand. Desperate cries for a penalty were not answered by the referee.
That was really it.
So let's not waste any more words on this abomination of a game.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.
