Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 6y

Thiago 8/10 before injury as Bayern cruise to win vs. Besiktas

After thumping Besiktas 5-0 in Munich, Bayern completed the formality of sealing their seventh successive Champions League quarterfinal with a 3-1 win in Turkey, courtesy of Thiago Alcantara, an own goal and Sandro Wagner, while Vagner Love scored a consolation for the home side.

Positives

Bayern sealed their seventh successive quarterfinal, going past a century of goals in all competitions for the season. Better yet, nobody is suspended going into the last eight.

Negatives

Bayern conceded for the 11th Champions League game in succession on away soil and will hope that injury-prone Thiago's knock is nothing serious.

Manager rating out of 10

10 -- Jupp Heynckes, at 72, became the first coach to win 11 consecutive Champions League games. Heynckes has engineered a remarkable transformation of a Bayern side that had gone stale under Carlo Ancelotti.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Sven Ulreich, 6 -- Hardly tested for long periods, but played Niklas Sule into trouble for the goal before producing a routine save of Ricardo Quaresma as Besiktas pressed.

DF David Alaba, 7 -- Tested the keeper with typically fierce freekicks early in each half, incredibly sloppy for the Besiktas consolation goal before repairing his error with the deflected cross for Sandro Wagner to chest home.

DF Mats Hummels, 6 -- Ironed out a few first-half problems when necessary, but was sacrificed at the break after seeing yellow late in the opening period

DF Jerome Boateng, 6 -- A couple of uncharacteristic errors. He had to be careful in the second half after picking up an unnecessary yellow late in the first.

DF Rafinha, 5 -- Replaced Joshua Kimmich at right-back, who was at risk of suspension. The Brazilian was lucky to escape with just yellow after clattering Quaresma on the hour mark.

MF Javi Martinez, 7 -- Restored to a holding defensive midfield role under Heynckes. Held things together as Besiktas battled back in the second half.

MF Arturo Vidal, 7 -- Seemed to thrive on the raucous atmosphere, putting in a rumbustious performance in the middle of the park.

MF Thiago, 8 -- Swept Bayern into the lead after 18 minutes but took a blow to his left foot around the half hour mark. After the seventh injury of his Bayern career, the Spain international had to be replaced by James Rodriguez 10 minutes before half-time. He was also injured in their last away Champions League match vs. Anderlecht, which kept him out for three months.

MF Franck Ribery, 6 -- Enjoyed lively bursts in each half of his 100th European game (88 for Bayern), but it's three years since Ribery last scored in the Champions League during a 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in March 2015.

MF Thomas Muller, 7 -- Blazed over when well-placed after the goalkeeper flapped at Alaba's fierce free-kick, but his brilliant cross fed Thiago for the opener that set Bayern on their way.

FW Robert Lewandowski, 5 -- On two yellows and in danger of suspension for the quarterfinal first leg, Lewandowski was largely anonymous throughout and spent long periods trying to avoid meaningful challenges. Rightfully hooked after the hour mark.

Substitutes

MF James Rodriguez, 6 -- Made his comeback from a calf injury suffered in the first leg romp in Munich, keeping up his record of featuring in every CL game this season. Prominent in creating Bayern's final goal of the evening.

DF Niklas Sule, 5 -- Replaced Hummels at the break, who was walking the red card tightrope. The summer signing from Hoffenheim played his part in the consolation goal for Besiktas with a hurried ball to Alaba.

FW Sandro Wagner, 6 -- Made his first Champions League appearance in the competition proper since starting for Werder Bremen in the group stages against Spurs in 2010, coming on for the subdued Lewandowski on 66 minutes and chested home Bayern's third from all of a yard.

^ Back to Top ^