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Bayern logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 5, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Roma logo

2-0

Ribery (38'), Gotze (64')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Live Commentary: Bayern Munich 2-0 Roma - as it happened

Sports Mole's live text commentary of the Champions League Group E match between Bayern Munich and Roma at the Allianz Arena.
2

Bayern Munich booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League by beating Roma 2-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Franck Ribery gave the German champions the lead when he slotted home from David Alaba's pullback.

Mario Gotze then touched in Robert Lewandowski's cross from close range to make sure of the three points.

Find out how the action unfolded below.


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Good evening everyone! We have a mouth-watering tie in prospect, as Bayern Munich take on Roma at the Allianz Arena. The game is made even more intriguing by the fact that the Germans claimed a stunning 7-1 win over tonight's opponents just two weeks ago.



If people didn't already believe that Pep Guardiola's side were among the favourites to win this tournament, then their display the Stadio Olimpico will have certainly have silenced their doubters. A wonderful showing of attacking football and dominance all over the pitch helped them earn their biggest away win in the Champions League.

Many had expected Roma to put up more of a fight after thrashing CSKA Moscow in their opening group game and following that up by holding Manchester City to a draw. For them it was all over by half time and they will be desperate to put that result behind them this evening.

If Bayern do manage to pick up a victory tonight then they will go through as group winners. The rest of Group E is especially tight, with Roma on four points and Manchester City behind them on two. In tonight's other match City take on CSKA Moscow at the Etihad looking for their first victory in this season's tournament.



BAYERN MUNICH XI: Neuer, Benatia, Boateng, Alaba, Rafinha, Bernat, Alonso, Lahm, Gotze, Ribery, Lewandowski

ROMA XI: Skorupski, Torosidis, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Cholevas, Keita, De Rossi, Nainggolan, Florenzi, Destro, Iturbe

BAYERN MUNICH SUBS: Zingerle, Dante, Shaqiri, Rode, Muller, Hojbjerg

ROMA SUBS: De Sanctis, Cole, Totti, Gervinho, Somma, Pjanic, Ljajic

There we have how each team will line up this evening. The headline news for Bayern fans is the notable absence of Arjen Robben. The Dutchman has picked up a stomach bug and has stayed at the team hotel. His place in the side is taken by Franck Ribery, who will link up with Mario Gotze in support of lone striker Robert Lewandowski.

The Germans have made one other change from the side that beat Borussia Dortmund at the weekend. Rafinha comes back into the midfield, with Thomas Muller dropping to the bench. Elsewhere it is pretty much as expected, with Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso marshalling the midfield ahead of a three-man defence.

Moving on to the visitors and there are a number of big names left out of the starting XI. Francesco Totti and Gervinho both have to settle for a place in the bench, with Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi chosen ahead of them.

There is also no place for Ashley Cole, who has lost his spot at left back to Jose Holebas. Miralem Pjanic is another surprise choice who begins among the substitutes, as Daniele De Rossi, Seydou Keita and Radja Nainggolan make up the midfield.

Bayern Munich have been almost unstoppable in the opening weeks of this season. They are already four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, after winning seven of their opening 10 games, with the other three fixtures ending in draws.

They warmed up for tonight's match by coming from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening. Marco Reus gave the visitors the lead in the first half, but Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben scored after the break to subject Jurgen Klopp's men to a fifth successive league defeat.



Their form in the Champions League is nothing less than perfect, after three group wins. They edged to 1-0 victories over CSKA Moscow and Manchester City before really turning on the style against Roma. As I have mentioned, they will go through as group winners with all three points this evening, but a draw with also be enough to book their place in the last 16.



Looking at this Bayern side, it is hard to see any real weaknesses. They lost one major player over the summer in Toni Kroos, but his replacement Xabi Alonso has been in sparkling form since his arrival. Mehdi Benatia and Juan Bernat have also beefed up the defence, while Robert Lewandowski is starting to show the form that led to him becoming the Bundesliga's top marksman last year.

Their opponents tonight will still be reeling from the hammering they took at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma will surely have felt confident of taking something from their meeting with Bayern, but it became apparent early on that they were facing a team on a level above them. Playing them so soon after such a result is not ideal, but gives them a great chance to come up with a response.



The Giallorossi responded well to that setback by earning a goalless draw in their next match against Sampdoria, before keeping another clean sheet in a 2-0 win against Cesena. However, their preparation for tonight's clash was not ideal, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Napoli at the weekend that has left them three points behind leaders Juventus in the Serie A table.

One thing that was particularly surprising about the manner of Roma's defeat to Bayern, was just how poorly they defended. Last season they conceded just 25 goals in Serie A, which was only bettered by Juventus. They have been solid in the league this season too, leaking just six goals in 10 games, although five of those were against title rivals Juventus and Napoli.

In the five previous meetings between these sides, Bayern have won four games, scoring 15 goals in the process. Roma's only win came during the group stages of this tournament back in 2010, when they managed a 3-2 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma haven't just struggled against Bayern, they have endured a number of difficult nights when facing German opposition. They have lost nine of the 11 games that they have played in Germany, with their last win in the country coming 14 years ago in a UEFA Cup tie against Hamburger SV.

PREDICTION: With just a few minutes until kick off, it's time for a quick prediction. The hosts have been in such great form recently and it will take a much improved Roma display to get anything form this match. I don't see a repeat of the seven goals that Bayern scored last month, but Guardiola's side should have too much for their opponents and I am going to tip them to win 3-0 this evening.

Both sets of players have made their way out of the tunnel and are lined up as the Champions League anthem plays. It is a very wet night in Munich and kick off is now just a few moments away.

KICKOFF! We are underway at the Allianz Arena!

Roma have made a decent start to this match and have kept the ball well. They look lively going forward and Florenzi wins them an early corner after some good play down the right. The set piece ends up coming to nothing though, as when the ball drops to Iturbe on the edge of the box, he slices an effort high and wide.

The hosts are just starting to get into their stride and have begun to dominate the possession. We're still yet to see a serious effort on goal from either side, with both keepers having very little to do so far.

Bayern have really taken this game by the scruff of the neck and are controlling the tempo. Roma are finding it hard to get a touch of the ball, as the Germans just wait for their moment to pounce.

Roma have had some decent openings from set pieces early on and they win a free kick in a great position down the right after Destro is brought down by Bernat. Iturbe is the man who takes the resulting free kick, but his delivery is poor and fails to beat the first man.

The visitors will be really pleased at how they have started tonight's match, given what happened to them in Rome. They may not be seeing much of the ball, but their forward players are closing the Bayern defence down quickly and are not allowing them too much time on the ball.

There haven't been any particularly bad challenges this evening, but Benatia is lucky to escape a booking after bringing down Iturbe rather cynically. His departure from Roma left quite a bad taste in the summer, after enjoying such a successful season at the club.

Bayern have their first big opening of the match as Bernat is picked out unmarked at the back post. He takes a touch before looking to drive a strike into the far corner, but Torosidis is there to pull off a brilliant block. The ball goes behind for a corner, but Alonso's delivery is missed by everyone in the box.

The hosts are starting to get into some dangerous areas and Gotze tries his luck on goal with a fierce low drive. It is hit straight at Skorupski, but the keeper spills it. Luckily for him, his defence get back quickly and clear the danger.

Bayern have another chance on goal after a flowing team move. The ball is eventually worked to Lahm, who has time and space to measure a strike from around 25 yards out. His effort is well hit, but it is straight down the middle and this time Skorupski manages to hold on.

PENALTY SHOUT! The visitors feel that they should be awarded a spot kick when Nainggolan latches onto a ball over the top and touches it past Neuer before going down. The referee waves away the appeals and the replays show that there was very little contact between the Belgian and the keeper.

It looks like Roma have a problem here, as Florenzi goes down after appearing to twist his ankle. He heads off to receive treatment on the sidelines, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to continue.

Manolas is the latest Roma to go down after getting caught by Gotze. This time it is less serious as the defender is back up quickly and should be able to shake off the knock.

Bayern have had the best chances to score in this first half and they come close to breaking the deadlock when Alaba whips in a teasing free kick from the right. Benatia almost makes contact with the cross, but it is just out of his reach and the ball ends up heading just wide of the far post.

GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-0 Roma (Franck Ribery)

It's taken Bayern until almost half time to break the deadlock, but they finally have the lead thanks to Ribery. The Frenchman was on hand to sidefoot Alaba's low cross from the left into the far corner, leaving the keeper with absolutely no chance.

That goal has understandably given the hosts a massive boost and their fans are in full voice. They sense that there is time for them to score a second goal before the break and Roma will desperately make sure they don't collapse like they did in their last meeting.

When Roma have got forward into decent positions they just haven't been able to seriously test the Bayern defence. Another opportunity for them to pose a threat goes begging as they win a corner and get plenty of men forward, but Florenzi's delivery fails to beat the first man.

We are going to have one minute of added time.

YELLOW CARD! Alonso is given the first booking of the match for cynically bringing down Iturbe.

HALF-TIME: Bayern Munich 1-0 Roma

It's all going to plan for Bayern Munich, as they lead Roma 1-0 at the break. Franck Ribery's goal after a well-worked team move means that they are 45 minutes away from booking their spot in the last 16.



A quick look at the stats back up just how dominant Bayern were in the first half. They have had a huge 70% of the possession and managed seven shots on goal. Meanwhile, Roma have mustered just two attempts, both of which failed to hit the target.

If things stay the same come the final whistle, then Bayern will go through as winners of Group E with 12 points. There is also a surprising half-time score from the Ethihad, where CSKA Moscow lead 2-1 against Manchester City. A win for the Russians would see them join Roma on four points and leave City bottom of the table with just two points after four games.

The players are starting to make their way back out onto the pitch and the second half will be getting underway shortly.

Bayern take the kick off and get the second half started.

SUBSTITUTION: The visitors have made a change at the start of the half, with Cole coming on for Holebas.

Bayern have started this half in the same fashion they finished the first 45 minutes. They are pegging Roma back deep inside their own half and Bernat tries to find the net with a low drive that the keeper holds onto at his near post.

CHANCE! The hosts should really have doubled their lead here. It's Alaba with the chance, as he arrives unmarked to meet Rafinha's cross inside the box, but he can only put his header over the bar.

Roma just have not seen any of the ball since the break and they are barely able to get out of their own half. It's surely a matter of time before Bayern get a second and they threaten again when Lewandowski flicks a header wide, before Boateng fires high over the bar.

Things aren't going to plan for Roma and Florenzi is going to have to be replaced after colliding with Torosidis as the two attempted to clear a cross. That was the last thing the midfielder wanted following his ankle problem in the first half.

SUBSTITUTION: Florenzi does indeed have to come off and Pjanic is on to replace him.

CHANCE! The chances just keep coming for Bayern. Ribery whips in a great corner from the left that the keeper completely misses and it drops kindly to Benatia at the back post, but he ends up scuffing his effort wide.

You just wonder how long Roma will be able to hold out under such pressure. Bayern have been pouring forward with wave after wave of attacks as they look to put this game beyond any doubt.

GOAL! Bayern Munich 2-0 Roma (Mario Gotze)

Bayern do get their second goal of the match and you can't say that it hasn't been coming. Following another spell of heavy pressure, Lewandowski is played in down the left and he whips a low cross into the middle that Gotze meets to touch into the net.

CHANCES! This game is surely beyond Roma's reach now and a third goal for Bayern looks increasingly likely. They almost get it, as Lahm blazes a shot wide from inside the box and soon after Lewandowski heads an effort over the bar.

Gervinho has just been spotted on the touchline warming up for Roma. It was a surprise that he was not included in the starting lineup after scoring three goals in the Champions League already this season.

SUBSTITUTION: Shaqiri will get the chance to impress for Bayern in the closing stages as he comes on to replace Alonso.

SUBSTITUTION: Roma make their final change of the evening and it is Gervinho who comes on, with Iturbe heading off.

CHANCE! Bayern have played some wonderful football this evening and they almost score again when Lahm chips a brilliant ball through to Shaqiri. The Swiss international touches the ball goalwards, but Skorupski is quickly off his line to make a decent block.

CHANCE! This would have been some goal. The hosts win a free kick 30 yards out from goal and Alaba steps up to take it. He looks to bend an effort into the top right corner, but his strike only just misses the target, with the keeper at full stretch.

SUBSTITUTION: Alaba's last piece of action was to take that free kick, as he is replaced by Rode.

SAVE! What a remarkable save this is from Neuer. Gervinho has the first chance when he drives into the box, before seeing his effort blocked at the near post by the keeper. The ball then comes out to Nainggolan on the edge of the box and his strike looks as if it is heading into the top corner, before Neuer throws himself across goal to touch it wide.

That really was such a sensational stop from Neuer. He had not been tested all evening, but was alert to keep out Gervinho and Nainggolan from the follow up. I think a lot of people would agree that he is the best keeper in the world at the moment.

SUBSTITUTION: Bayern make their final change of the match, with Hojbjerg coming on for Lahm.

There are going to be three minuets of stoppage time.

FULL-TIME: Bayern Munich 2-0 Roma

It's all over in Munich and Bayern have booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Goals from Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze have given them a comfortable and very deserved win against a Roma side that never looked like getting anything from the match.

In the evening's other Group E match, CSKA Moscow have pulled off a shock 2-1 victory against nine-man Manchester City. That result means that CSKA join Roma on four points, while City are on just two points ahead of their meeting with Bayern in three weeks.

That's all we've got time for here. We'll have analysis and player ratings from all of tonight's Champions League matches so stay with us for that. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, goodbye!

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Bayern Munich's forward from Netherlands Arjen Robben (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Champions League group stage football match AS Roma vs Bayern Munich on October 21, 2014
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