As is often said, football is a results-oriented business, and Tuesday evening at the Grand Stade Lille Metropole, Bayern München took care of business, winning 1-0 over Lille OSC after losing away from home three weeks ago in Minsk. The win put the Bavarians in a three-way tie atop Group F, as Valencia defeated BATE Borisov Tuesday, with each team now has six points in CL group play. Yet Bayern supporters will have to feel disappointed in a match where Bayern benefited both from a penalty call in their favor and another potential call not made on a similar play. Thomas Müller scored the only goal of the contest on a 20th minute penalty kick.

Tactics and Formations

Coach Rudi Garcia’s Lille OSC side came into Tuesday’s Champions League match having already lost to BATE Borisov and Valencia in its two previous Group F matches, having scored but one goal and allowing five. Lille has also been but a midtable presence so far in Ligue One, eight points off the pace set by PSG and Marseille. Garcia’s club did fashion a win over Ajaccio and a draw in Bordeaux in league play since losing to Valencia in the Champions League but the French double-winners two years ago have yet to make their mark on the 2012/2013 campaign.

For Tuesday’s match, Garcia left Dimitri Payet on the bench and was without Lille veteran defender Mathieu Debuchy. Florent Balmont wore the captain’s armband as Garcia lined his squad up in a 4-3-3, with Brazilian Túlio de Melo leading the line, replacing Payet, while French youth international Lucas Digne subbed in for Debuchy. Nolan Roux and defender Aurélien Chedjou were the leading scorers in league play in Lille’s starting XI, both with two goals.

Bayern München came into Tuesday’s fixture perfect except for their loss to BATE Borisov. With an unblemished record in league play, Jupp Heynckes’ side have been Germany’s truly dominant club in 2012/2013, having scored 26 goals while allowing a miserly two on their way to setting a Bundesliga record for the most consecutive wins to start a season. Heynckes’ only change to the starting XI from that which demolished Fortuna Düsseldorf 5-0 Saturday was to replace midfielder Luiz Gustavo with high-priced import Javi Martinez. Heynckes was without Mario Gomez, Daniel van Buyten and Arjen Robben, all sidelined by injury, but Austrian left back David Alaba made his long-anticipated return from injury against F95 and made the bench for Tuesday’s contest.

First Half

Clad in white with orange trim, Bayern München started the game in control as befits a team with such a better season record than their hosts. Franck Ribéry, the former Lille youth player released by the club at the age of 16, ran with determination up the left flank, drawing six fouls in the first 45 minutes as Lille played a physical but clean game. Toni Kroos was a force in attack, also, but his setpiece attempts were unsuccessful. A Philipp Lahm cross for Mario Mandžukić was a bit too lengthy and snatched up by Lille goalkeeper Mickaël Landreau while Dante defended well on Lille’s best early chance on a header by de Melo in the 14th minute.

Bayern received the lifeline they would eventually need in the 20th minute, when deputized left back Digne was judged to foul a charging Lahm near the touchline by Martin Atkinson, rather harsh in that Digne seemed to barely touch the Bayern captain from behind. Müller’s hesitation runup to convert the penalty was followed by a blast to Landreau’s right as the German put his club ahead 1-0.

Little of matter followed in the rest of the half, as Bayern were dominant in possession while Lille continually fouled (13 fouls in the first half)to break up Bayern build-ups. Mandžukić was blanketed, as he was the entire match, making the prolific Croatian a mostly anonymous figure in the contest.

Second Half

Following intermission, Heynckes brought in Swiss youngster Xherdan Shaqiri for the battered Ribéry, but the Frenchman’s energy was sorely missed. Lille’s Balmont gave further testimony to Lille’s determined physicality when he bundled off Holger Badstuber near the goalline early in the half. Shaqiri was able to fire off a shot, but high, while nearer the hour mark a glorious volley attempt by Kroos when unfulfilled. Müller demonstrated determination in delivering a quality cross to Shaqiri, but the connection was just off, while some high pressure by the Bavarians created a Lille turnover but the resultant ball into the box for a charging Lahm was a bit too far.

Heynckes’ men dodged a bullet when a Martinez push to the back of Balmont just past the edge of the box was not called a penalty. Although a relatively harmless effort by Martinez, it was too similar to the foul called on Digne for Lille fans not to be indignant at the non-call. Bayern’s best scoring chance of the second half came when Lahm fed Müller in the 77th minute right in front of goal, but the lanky wingman missed the ball with his right foot and it bounced harmlessly off his left shin.

Garcia had introduced Payet for former Chelsea winger Solomon Kalou in the 56th minute, but his further introduction of ex-Le Havre man Ryan Mendes in the 78th minute raised the quality of Lille’s attack even further. While Payet and Balmont had lengthy shots fly well over the crossbar earlier, the 22 year-old Mendes provided the type of energy and elusiveness characterized by Ribéry. The native of Cape Verde created threat to the left of the Bayern goal, and a poor clearance attempt by Dante almost spelled catastrophe. Lille were more vibrant in attack, and began keeping possession, but were unable to break through nor really threaten Manuel Neuer before time expired and the Bavarians had collected all three points.

Conclusion

For Bayern, a win is a win, but their shakiness on the road in this year’s Champions League tournament certainly creates anxiety for the club’s many supporters — a quite contrary run of performance compared to their Bundesliga dominance. Lille patiently whittled away at Bayern, and despite less possession were almost equal in shots taken. Lille’s physical approach devalued much of the advantage in Bayern’s ability to keep the ball, and the fresh legs introduced in the second half by Garcia were more positive than the substitutions made by Heynckes. Had Lille’s finishing not been so poor, or if they had gotten a penalty kick call on Martinez’ push of Balmont, Bayern could well be behind Valencia and BATE Borisov in the Group F standings. The stranglehold Lille put on Mandžukić also at least temporarily calls into question Bayern’s ability to score with their leading man in attack muzzled. It was perhaps telling that Heynckes’ last two substitutions, Gustavo for Kroos and Alaba for Müller, showed his resignation to defend the slim lead rather than go for more goals.

The return of David Alaba, though, is a big plus for Bayern. Although he wasn’t a factor in the match, the 20 year-old left back has the ability to create with his pace and offensive priorities, and today’s second appearance back in his return to fitness bodes well for Bayern’s future.

Header Image courtesy of welt.de