Champions League
Dinamo Zagreb
Dec 9, 2015 7.45pm
0
2
HT : 0 0
FT
Bayern
  • Goncalo 31' yellowcard
  • Josip Pivaric 73' yellowcard
  • Eduardo 87' yellowcard
  • goal Robert Lewandowski 61'
  • goal Robert Lewandowski 64'

Live Commentary: Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Bayern Munich - as it happened

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Dinamo 0-2 Bayern - as it happened
© Getty Images

Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich finished the Champions League group stage with a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb this evening.

After being frustrated for long spells of the first half, the visitors scored twice in two second-half minutes as Lewandowski followed a powerful header with a clever chipped finish.

Thomas Muller could have made it 3-0 late on, but he could only strike the post with a penalty after Arturo Vidal had been brought down in the box.

Read below to find out how the action unfolded.

9.36pmBayern finish the group stage with their fifth win from six games. Lewandowski's brace secures the points in Croatia as Dinamo fail to cause a shock against one of the favourites for the competition. Thanks for following our live text coverage and make sure you keep an eye out for analysis and ratings.

9.35pmFULL TIME: DINAMO ZAGREB 0-2 BAYERN MUNICH

90 minThe fourth official confirms there will be two minutes added on. Any late drama?

88 minOFF THE POST! Muller wastes the chance from the penalty spot as he sends Eduardo the wrong way but strikes the post. Surprising not to see Lewandowski get the opportunity to complete his hat-trick.

87 minPENALTY! Lovely football from Bayern as they work the ball into the box to release Vidal, who gets there before Eduardo and goes down under a challenge from the goalkeeper.

83 minBayern in complete control at the moment, with the likes of Vidal and Alonso seeing plenty of the ball. Dinamo are tiring quickly and it wouldn't be a surprise if more goals arrived late on.

81 minSUB! Rog's night comes to an end as Mamic uses his final change to send on Domagoj Pavicic.

79 minClassic German humour, hey?

77 minCHANCE! It should have been the hat-trick for Lewandowski, who fires inches wide of the post after being picked out in the box by Rode.

74 minSUB! Rode is too quick on the ball for Pivaric, who picks up a booking for a late challenge. Paulo Machado then comes off the bench to replace Fernandes, who has really struggled to get involved tonight.

70 minOFF THE WOODWORK! Credit to Dinamo, they are certainly not willing to give up on this game. Pivaric beats a couple of defenders on a very good run on the left, before rattling the post with a powerful effort.

68 minBayern are looking for more goals as they attack once again through Muller, who charges into the box before seeing his effort charged down.

65 minBayern kill this game off with two goals in two minutes! Lewandowski is the finisher once again as he races through to collect Rode's pass, before calmly chipping the ball over Eduardo. Excellent finish from the Poland international. Green had been replaced by Arturo Vidal between the two goals.

64 minGOAL! DINAMO 0-2 BAYERN (LEWANDOWSKI)

63 minSuperb from Bayern, and it's no surprise to see these two linking up. Muller drifts out wide to collect the ball in space before delivering an inch-perfect ball to allow Lewandowski to head home.

62 minGOAL! DINAMO 0-1 BAYERN (LEWANDOWSKI)

61 minSUB! Coric has drifted in and out of the game tonight, and he comes off to be replaced by Marko Pjaca.

57 minRafinha ignores the options on offer 25 yards from goal, but his weak effort is easily stopped by Eduardo. I'm not sure if Guardiola will be happy with that from his defender.

55 minMuch better from the hosts as Fernandes exchanges passes with Soudani before forcing Ulreich into a routine save. Bayern clear from the resulting corner.

52 minMuller has been busy since coming on the pitch. He does well to create space on the edge of the box before unleashing an effort which takes a deflection on the way to being stopped by Eduardo.

51 minBayern are controlling possession pretty easily at the moment. Dinamo have dropped a bit deeper and the visitors certainly seem to be keen to step up the tempo of their play.

48 minBayern are putting the pressure on early in the second half. The visitors win a couple of corners and Muller volleys wide from the latter.

46 minRESTART! Bayern make the expected change at the break as Jerome Boateng comes off the bench to replace the injured Benatia. Ribery's night is also over as Thomas Muller is introduced. They're back underway in Croatia.

8.37pm

8.34pmThe first half comes to an end in Zagreb, and despite chasing the ball for long spells, it was Dinamo who created the two best chances of the game. Soudani tested Ulreich with one tame effort from inside the box, before somehow heading wide just before the break. Bayern are short of their best, but they remain level.

8.30pmHALF TIME: DINAMO 0-0 BAYERN

45 minIt looks like Benatia is struggling with an injury, but I think Bayern may wait until the interval to make a change.

43 minCHANCE! Dinamo should be in front. It's a great chance for Soudani as he meets a free kick with a header. Ulreich is miles away from connecting with the ball after coming off his line and he breathes a sigh of relief when Soudani's header drifts just wide.

39 minDinamo have threatened a couple of times, but Bayern are certainly in charge of this game. You can tell that these two sides are playing for very little tonight. The game is certainly lacking a bit of intensity.

36 minPerhaps surprisingly, Lahm is the man to make a run into the box but Eduardo punches Ribery's cross clear to relieve the pressure on the hosts.

35 minBayern move the ball quickly from left to right and Lahm has time to deliver a cross which Lewandowski heads at Eduardo on the stretch. Difficult for the striker to generate any power.

34 minBetter from Bayern's midfield as Rode collects a loose ball before driving forward and shooting straight at Eduardo, who makes a comfortable save.

32 minAlonso fancies his chances with the free kick from around 30 yards and Eduardo is scrambling across his line, but the effort drifts wide of the post.

31 minYELLOW CARD! Dinamo are caught in possession with plenty of men forward, and Santos takes one for the team by bringing down Lewandowski as Bayern broke at pace.

27 minLewandowski could do with players going beyond him. At the moment, Dinamo are finding it easy to defend with everything being played in front of them. Rafinha ends a long spell of possession by shooting wide from 25 yards.

25 minCHANCE! Superb football from Dinamo as they play some lovely one-touch passes on the edge of the box before Antolic finds Soudani, whose effort is blocked by Ulreich. He really should have scored after finding space in the box.

22 minWe've hit a quiet spell after a lively start. Bayern continue to dominate possession as they search for a breakthrough.
© Getty Images

19 minBayern are remaining patient in possession as they wait for the Dinamo defence to make a mistake. Lahm and Alonso are running the show at the moment. The visitors appear to have switched to a 3-4-3 formation.

17 minLewandowski does this very well. The Polish striker drifts out wide to create space in the middle and he plays through Ribery, who can only poke an effort straight at Eduardo after the goalkeeper had sprinted off his line.

14 minAntolic does very well to create space for himself on the left wing, but a promising move comes to an end when Coric completely miscues his effort on the edge of the box.

12 minDinamo look like they could cause problems on the break, but some of the passes forward have been pretty poor early on. Bayern are dictating the tempo at the moment.

10 minSuperb from Lahm, who appears to have moved to midfield for now. He charges forward and exchanges passes with Rode, before spotting the run of Lewandowski, who is unable to make great contact with a shot which is eventually cleared.

9 minSAVE! Well, we certainly have not been short of attacks early on. Trademark Ribery as the Frenchman cuts in from the wing before unleashing a powerful low strike to force Eduardo into a fine save.

6 minCHANCE! Brilliant from Coric as he breaks into the box before using a back-heel to find Pivaric, whose powerful strike from a tight angle is tipped over by Ulreich.

4 minCHANCE! You have to call this a decent opportunity for Bayern. Alonso delivers an excellent corner to find Benatia, who can only send his header wide of the post.

3 minBayern defending very high u the pitch in the early stages as they look to put pressure on the hosts. It is certainly working, too, as they win the ball back in midfield.

1 minKICKOFF! Bayern immediately settle into a nice passing rhythm. Plenty of players looking to impress Guardiola tonight.

7.42pmHere we go then. The two sides are on their way out in Zagreb. Kickoff is just an anthem and a few handshakes away!

7.37pmDespite being considered one of the favourites for this year's competition, Bayern have struggled on the road in the Champions League recently. They have won just one of their last six away games in Europe, losing four times in that stretch.

7.33pmSTAT! Dinamo have played 11 competitive matches against German sides and they are still waiting for their first victory. (L9, D2)

7.30pmPREDICTION: It's always difficult to predict what will happen in games like this, but even with the changes made by Guardiola, Bayern still look too strong for Dinamo on paper. I would expect the hosts to enjoy spells on top, but Bayern should have enough to collect the points. 2-0 Bayern.

7.26pm

7.23pmGuardiola never comes across as coach who will accept anything less than perfection, and he is certainly expecting a good performance from some of the supporting cast tonight.
© Getty Images
"I have never met a player who didn't want to prove himself and didn't want to win. I want my players to give their all. The prestige is very important for the club, not to mention the money garnered for wins. After the first match against Dinamo I learned more about their team and watched their other matches. They have two good wingers, left and right," he told reporters yesterday.

7.20pmMuch of the attention is on tonight's other Group F match between Olympiacos and Arsenal as the two teams fight for qualification in Greece. A quick reminder that you can follow that game and any of the other Champions League fixtures by clicking on the match in the live scores box.

7.18pmDinamo were thrashed 5-0 in the reverse fixture back in September, with Robert Lewandowski netting a hat-trick at the Allianz Arena. Mamic is fully aware that his side need to start well to avoid another emphatic loss. "We are aware of Bayern's quality and we need to play well above our abilities if we want to be a threat. We gave away the first three goals against Bayern in Munich and we need to be more focused. We need to be much better in every area to achieve anything good," he told reporters.

7.15pmIn case you were not aware, Bayern suffered their first defeat of the Bundesliga season at the weekend. Borussia Monchengladbach ended their unbeaten run with a 3-1 victory over the champions. Guardiola's side remain in control of the title race, and although this match counts for very little, the perfectionist will not be pleased with two disappointing results in a week.

7.13pm

7.09pmExperienced defender Gordon Schildenfeld misses out for the hosts due to a thigh problem, while goalkeeper Armin Hodzic is out of action after recently injuring his shoulder. El Arbi Hillel Soudani will lead the line with support from Junior Fernandes.

7.06pmThey took their time, but here is Dinamo's team news. DINAMO: Eduardo, Pivaric, Taravel, Pinto, Sigali, Antolic, Santos, Coric, Rog, Soudani, Fernándes SUBS: Jazina, Matel, Musa, Machado, Pavicic, Henriquez, Pjaca

7.02pm

6.58pmFranck Ribery starts for the first time since March as he continues his bid for full fitness after so many injury setbacks. He came off the bench to score at the weekend, but can he get back to his best?
© Getty Images

6.55pmWith top spot clinched, Pep Guardiola takes the opportunity to give playing time to some of his fringe players. Julian Green makes his first appearance for Bayern since November 2014, while Joshua Kimmich, Sebastian Rode and Sven Ulreich are all named in the starting lineup. Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman are among the players to get the night off.

6.52pmBAYERN: Ulreich, Lahm, Benatia, Martinez, Rafinha , Alonso, Rode, Kimmich, Ribery, Green, Lewandowski SUBS: Starke, Kirchhoff, Boateng, Vidal, Müller, Coman, Benko

6.50pmDinamo caused a huge shock on the first night of the group stage by beating Arsenal 2-1, but Zoran Mamic's side have been unable to reach the same heights since then. Four successive losses ended any hopes of qualification or earning a spot in the Europa League, and they are simply playing for pride tonight.

6.47pmBayern haven't always needed to be at their best in Group F, but they have produced some superb performances to storm to top spot with a game to spare. They head into this game on the back of four wins and one loss, with their only defeat coming away to Arsenal.

6.45pmGood evening everyone! The Champions League group stage comes to an end tonight. We already know that Bayern Munich will finish top of Group F, while Dinamo Zagreb will prop up the other three sides. What should we expect from these two sides? Stick with me to find out whether Bayern can finish the group stage on a high in Croatia.
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