His individual performance was emblematic of the whole team. Kingsley Coman, who has had a special relationship with the UCL since his winning goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, was lively in the first half but was repeatedly stifled by Salzburg's double-teamming. But, just as FC Bayern are known to never give up, Mr Lisbon didn't give up either and drove his team forward again and again down the left-hand side in a dominant second half - and rewarded himself and Bayern in the 89th minute with the all-important equaliser in the round of 16 first leg. A win in the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 8 would see the Munich side progress - thanks in part to King Coman.
Coman rewards himself for his efforts
The 25-year-old Frenchman's goal from Thomas Müller's assist shortly before the end of the match - Müller's 19th competitive assist this season (no one else in Europe's top five leagues has more) - had been coming. Even before his equaliser, the winger had seven shots on goal, a tally that no player has yet surpassed in the competition this season. In addition, Coman, who recently extended his contract with the German record champions until 2027, has been involved in at least one goal in each of his last four Champions League appearances (two goals, two assists).
"You must never give up"
"He was successful in every one-on-one situation in the second half and had many shots. Overall, he was very good in the second half," praised head coach Julian Nagelsmann afterwards. Goalscorer Coman spoke after the game about his goal: "That was a very important goal. I gave everything and I was really knackered at the end. You must never give up and keep trying. That worked out well." Now the focus turns to the second leg. "We wanted to win here, but at least we didn't lose. Back home, with our fans behind us, we have every chance and even more self-belief," said the winger, whose goal preserved Bayern's unbeaten UCL away run (now 22 games on the trot; a record).
The match report from the game:
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