Clean sheet on Champions League debut: Special praise for youngster Jonas Urbig

Jan-Christian Dreesen didn't actually want to single out anyone late at night after the 2-0 second-leg win at Bayer Leverkusen – there were enough opportunities to do so. The whole team deserved special praise after this round of 16 tie, according to the FC Bayern CEO: "It was really a delight to watch. You showed team spirit like in the first leg – that's what we want and what makes us happy."

But then he made a quick turn full of praise for Harry Kane, who has scored three of his 10 Champions League goals this season against Bayer 04, and for the youngest goalkeeper to start a Champions League match for Bayern since Stefan Wessels (in March 2000 against Dynamo Kyiv) at the age of 21 years and 215 days. "It's remarkable how Jonas Urbig performed for our team tonight," said Dreesen.

From Euskirchen to the Champions League

It wasn't just any old European match – it was a last-16 second leg against a team, as Dreesen described, who have been "our most dogged opponents in the Bundesliga in the last two years". A team that, with its attacking magic and relentless offensive football, became champions and cup winners. And a team from a city that has a special rivalry with its neighbouring areas – among them Cologne. Just 35 kilometres away from the metropolis on the Rhine is Urbig's hometown of Euskirchen. The goalkeeper was still sitting on the bench for the second-division club in January, when FC Bayern brought him in. "It's going to be very heated, very emotional," board member for sport Max Eberl correctly assumed before the second leg at the BayArena. But if there was any nervousness there, Urbig showed no signs of it.

Fatherly words from Kompany

The young keeper went about his business in an extremely calm and focused manner. It certainly helped him that Dayot Upamecano, Minjae Kim and the entire Bayern defence also had a perfect day. You could tell how much Urbig had been encouraged by Vincent Kompany's almost fatherly words in the run-up to the game. The head coach had said that he didn't see any pressure on Urbig at all, but only on his experienced team-mates: "You have to start somewhere: young coaches, young players, young goalkeepers. You have to get through it, that's part of it."

In the first leg, Urbig had to suddenly deputise for Manuel Neuer between the posts. The Bayern number one sustained a calf injury and, as Dreesen also emphasised, is sorely missed. "For me personally, I was obviously very excited to be able to make my debut in the Champions League," said Urbig after that match. He also thanked the Bayern fans "for giving me such a positive reception". Most of all, though, he was concentrated. "I tried to cope with the 30 minutes." He did just that. "Jonas came on and did a good job," said Kane. Eberl was impressed: "Jonas hasn't played for three or four months and then comes on in a Champions League match like this. You know full well that everyone's watching you, but he looked as if that didn't bother him much. He came on and said, okay, now I'm standing here and playing my game."

Fingertips onto the post

The young shot-stopper then had to pick the ball out of his net three times on his full debut against Bochum, although he couldn't do anything about any of them. A thankless start, which only turned up the heat for the second leg in the Champions League. Clearly not for Urbig, though: he cleared the ball from the danger zone in the fiery early stages, punched away corners with one arm and rose to the challenge when he had to push a powerful low shot from Jeremie Frimpong around the near post in the 65th minute. Just two minutes later, the young goalkeeper was again in the spotlight as he held a header from Czech international Patrik Schick. Shortly before full time, he saved another long-distance effort from Exequiel Palacios.

Overall, an astonishingly assured and faultless display by the goalkeeper. "He exuded confidence, had two or three great moments – a special applause for Jonas Urbig," concluded Dreesen and smiled, as did Urbig, proud of his successful European debut.

Here's the analysis of the round of 16 second leg against Bayer 04 Leverkusen: