With just over 15 minutes to go at the Allianz Arena last week and Bayern Munich trailing 1-0 to Inter, coach Vincent Kompany decided it was Thomas Muller time. The veteran forward had announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, after 25 years on the Bavarians' books, meaning the stage was set for a dramatic final act.
Unsurprisingly, Muller played the role of super-sub to perfection by turning home Konrad Laimer's cross to draw Bayern level with just five minutes remaining. However, Inter almost immediately flipped the script with a brilliant breakaway goal that earned Simone Inzaghi's side a most valuable victory. Muller was understandably frustrated, but far from downbeat, reacting to the fact that he'd been upstaged by Davide Frattesi with characteristic good humour.
"It was unfortunate that the last counterattack made it 2-1; otherwise, the Muller story would have played out..." he told Amazon Prime Video. "I'll have to complain to Inter!"
Muller knew full well that Bayern only had themselves to blame for their first home defeat in the Champions League for four years.
"The chances converted were the key," he pointed out. "Ultimately, it’s about goals in football and we didn't take our big chance to make it 1-0."
To put it more precisely, Harry Kane didn't take Bayern's big chance to make it 1-0 - and, as is so often the case, the Englishman's form is a topic of much debate going into Wednesday's decisive second leg at San Siro...
