Player ratings: Vidal was Bayern’s biggest threat against Benfica

In a tense affair at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, FC Bayern progressed to the Champions League semifinals thanks to the strong contributions of midfielders Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso. Here, we take a look at the individual players’ performances from the match.

     Excellent

Arturo Vidal: First things first: What. A. Goal. After Douglas Costa’s clever pass played in Lahm, whose cross was parried out to the top of the box by Ederson, Vidal was on hand to absolutely hammer the ball into the back of an empty net. The technique was as stunning as the goal was crucial. Benfica were forced to come forward and score twice to have a chance of advancing. Aside from the volley, Vidal was all over the pitch, making plenty of forward runs and representing Bayern’s biggest attacking threat. While he did misplay a few passes, they were easy to forgive when looking at his overall contribution on the pitch. Importantly, he avoided a yellow card that would have seen him suspended for the first match of the semi-finals. Quite why Pep Guardiola insisted on leaving him out there was unclear.

    Great

Xabi Alonso: While the veteran Spaniard will always be suspect defensively due to his lack of pace, he once again controlled the match with his distribution. His passing acumen was a big part of the Bayern attack. Thanks to his ability to accurately switch play with a long ball to either side, both Franck Ribéry and Costa were found in plenty of space quite often.

Philipp Lahm: The skipper was a big part of Bayern’s attack this match, constantly getting forward to overlap on the right with Douglas Costa. It was his cross which was punched clear by Ederson that led to Vidal’s goal and there were countless other opportunities crafted by his clever runs.

Douglas Costa: As previously mentioned, Costa was the beneficiary of some impressive distribution from Alonso. Given the opportunity to repeatedly run at defenders one-on-one, he was a constant threat, cutting in to cross with his left or, as he did for the opening goal, playing the overlapping Lahm in behind. Aside from a threatening effort which struck the post and stayed out, Costa also pulled out another silky bit of skill to beat Mehdi Carcela-González at the end of the match, earning a kick to the shin for his efforts.

   Good

Joshua Kimmich: The young midfielder-come-centerback was once again composed, betraying none of the pressure which accompanied such a momentous match. Despite being whistled for a harsh foul early, Kimmich collected himself and put in a solid performance. Still, the return of Jérôme Boateng will be a welcome boost to Bayern’s Champions League hopes.

Thiago Alcântara: While he had a few moments of his typical brilliance – including a delicate chip to set Vidal through on goal – he did not have much influence on the match. Still, no real reason to complain, so he earns a “good” in my book.

Thomas Müller: Played up top as a false nine of sorts in place of Robert Lewandowski, Müller looked out of sorts and had very little influence. Then, of course, he scored to put the tie beyond all doubt. Typical Thomas.

Franck Ribéry: The Frenchman continued his run of sparkling form, attacking from the outset and proving a constant threat. While he was not able to get his name on the scoresheet, Ribery looks rejuvenated and ready to keep on at the highest level for a bit longer yet.

  Average

Manuel Neuer: The Bayern and Germany No. 1 had a few suspect moments in the match. Eliseu produced a great cross which Raúl Jiménez headed home to open the scoring, but Neuer was caught flapping at the ball and missing. No blame could be directed his way for Anderson Talisca’s free-kick goal, which was a superb strike. However, he was very nearly caught out by the Brazilian minutes later, as he cheated to his left and watched Talisca’s strike go narrowly wide of the right post.

David Alaba: Though the Austrian contributed with some solid defending and useful runs in the attacking third, tonight was not his night. He inexplicably allowed a cross which very nearly put Benfica 2:0 up, only for Neuer to save from Jiménez. Additionally, he was slightly offside before playing in Müller for what would have been Bayern’s third.

Javi Martínez: Did well to get on the end of a Bayern corner early in the second half, nodding across goal for Müller to finish. However, the Spaniard was a bit suspect defensively. A last ditch tackle just outside the box was assessed correctly as a yellow-card offense but could have been given as a red. The resulting free kick was scored by Talisca, and another silly foul gave the Brazilian another dangerous set piece with the clock winding down.

Robert Lewandowski: Rested by Guardiola after a reported minor car accident this weekend, Lewandowski only saw one clear chance. Played in by Douglas Costa, he struggled to get the ball out of his feet, producing a tame save from Ederson.

 Bad

None.