Almost through in the Champions League: Bayern still one point short | OneFootball

FC Bayern wins against Sporting – but a ticket to the round of 16 is still not certain. The Munich team is still one point short.

FC Bayern secured another important win with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon in their sixth Champions League match, thus extending their impressive record in the new phase of the league. With their fifth win in the competition, the path to the round of 16 seemed almost paved – at least that was the spontaneous assessment of goalscorer Serge Gnabry, who declared with relief after the match that Bayern had already qualified. But the jubilation came a little too early. In purely mathematical terms, the ticket for the last 16 has not yet been secured.

After a difficult start and falling behind to an unfortunate own goal from Joshua Kimmich, Vincent Kompany’s team turned the game around within twelve minutes. Goals from Serge Gnabry (65′), Lennart Karl (69′) and Jonathan Tah (77′) turned a 0:1 into a deserved 3:1 and ensured an exuberant atmosphere in the Allianz Arena.

With 15 points, Munich are now second in the league table, level on points with FC Arsenal, who can follow suit in Bruges this evening. The starting position is comfortable, but not definitive.

In the new CL format, 15 points are not automatically enough for the top eight, which guarantee a direct place in the round of 16. The previous season provides proof of this. Back then, both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund picked up 15 points – and still only finished 12th and 10th respectively. Both had to go through to the play-offs. Aston Villa finished eighth with 16 points and qualified directly.

One point still missing – Bayern almost, but not quite through

A clear rule of thumb has emerged under the new system, which has been in place since last season: five to six wins from eight games are normally enough to secure a place in the top eight. But secure does not automatically mean guaranteed, which is why Bayern’s 15 points are currently more of an „almost done“ than an „already done“.

One thing is clear: one point from the last two games – against Union Saint-Gilloise on January 21 and PSV Eindhoven on January 28 – would be enough to secure a place in the top eight and qualify directly for the round of 16 from March 10-18.

Kompany’s team is therefore well on the way, but one last step is still missing. Only when this point has been scored can the celebrations really begin.