Women's Champions League: Bayern stroll into quarterfinals
March 10, 2021Bayern Munich 3-0 (9-1 agg.) Shymkent, Bayern Campus
(Magull 2' pen., Sorensen 35', Lohmann 60' pen.)
For a team that has won every single game so far this season, it is remarkable how little appreciation Bayern Munich are getting.
Perhaps their second leg against Kazakhstani opposition BIIK Kazygurt was the time to do it. After a dominant first leg win, the home game saw a much-changed Bayern team do what they have done all season: make winning look easy.
Jens Scheuer's side moved the ball around with ease, leaving their opponents with only Oksana Zheleznyak's penalty save as their sole consolation. BIIK Kazygurt are no strangers to this competition — they made the Round of 16 last year — but for the second season in a row Bayern made them look ordinary.
Even in one half, Lina Magull controlled the midfield. Viviane Asseyi impressed down the right and in the space of an hour 20-year-old Sydney Lohmann showed why she is one of the most exciting midfielders in the game. That two of the game's three goals were scored from the spot does not support how much Bayern were in control.
Special season looms
This is a team that for the last four years has watched Wolfsburg dominate domestically and wasn't ready to challenge in Europe. This year is different. The team might lack the experience and success of other big European sides, but the confidence that comes with winning every game can be the perfect counter. Bayern Munich's motto might be about identity, and winning is very much an unspoken part of that.
And so Bayern have won another game. That's 21 straight now, and they're closing in on 100 goals too (89 goals to date). In the 1994/95 Women's Bundesliga season, FSV Frankfurt won the title winning every game. Bayern are looking to go two better and win every game in all three competitions they're vying to win.
Chelsea, Lyon, Wolfsburg and Barcelona lie in wait. Manchester City and PSG will follow. Now, Bayern have the chance to show whether this special winning streak will translate into one of the greatest seasons ever.