The 2026-27 edition of the Uefa Women’s Champions League began with a marquee clash between the German and English champions. Bayern Munich hosted Manchester City on the opening matchday of the league phase and the game lived up to its billing. It had everything: a late equaliser, a missed penalty, some refereeing controversy and a good tactical display.
José Barcala’s Bayern Munich scored twice in the opening 30 minutes before City cut the deficit in half amid ‘flare-gate’. City struggled to cope with Bayern’s pressure in the first half and conceded several high turnovers. City crawled back into the game with a late goal in each half as Bayern’s intensity dropped, while the hosts made some questionable decisions in the final 30 minutes of the game, giving up a penalty and losing momentum.
Let’s understand how this flared up affair played out on the pitch in Munich.
Both teams started in an identical 4-2-3-1 formation. City paired up Yui Hasegawa and Sam Coffey in their double pivot. Summer signings Beth Mead and Carlotta Wamser both started the game for City as the No. 10 and left-back, respectively.
The Bavarian giants started with Momoko Tanikawa and Bernadette Amani in the middle while former Wolfsburg star Pernille Harder started in the hole behind striker Jovana Damnjanović.
Bayern’s intense press and vertical play
Bayern Munich relied on their fluid system under Barcala which allowed them to create numerical superiority on the ball-side to help force turnovers high up the pitch. The German champions do it by playing an attacking midfielder on the right wing and allowing them to come narrow, creating a short passing option in the middle of the pitch.
Linda Dallmann played this role perfectly. The German international was often seen taking up positions in the middle of the pitch, providing an option for quick exchange following a turnover and a numerical advantage for Bayern. If the opposition full-back decides to follow, that leaves a massive space on the flank for Bayern’s right-back to run into.
