Bayern produced a performance full of composure and authority away to FC Zürich on Tuesday, winning 1-0 on the night and ensuring there were no slip-ups or anxious moments en route to a berth in this season’s Champions League group stage. It was an utterly professional display from the ruggedly determined men in red, who made light of Arjen Robben’s absence from the starting line-up to register a 3-0 aggregate success against last term’s Swiss runners-up.
The boisterous 23,500 capacity crowd at the Letzigrund Stadium in the central European banking metropolis fell silent after just seven minutes, when Mario Gomez handed FCB the early lead which effectively settled the outcome. The men from Munich were content to control possession and do what had to be done after that, although the bulk of the chances still fell to the visitors and better finishing might have brought more than just the one goal.
The comfortable two-leg victory means the Bundesliga giants have eased through the play-offs for the third time in three attempts, and will now contest the Champions League proper for the 15th time since the competition assumed its present form. Thursday evening’s group stage draw will take centre stage for a few hours, before Jupp Heynckes and his troops turn their full focus to Saturday’s tricky Bundesliga fixture away to Kaiserslautern.
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