Champions League: Bayern bow out after Sadio Mane magic

Bayern Munich 1-3 (agg. 1-3) Liverpool
(Matip og 39' - Mane 26', 84', Van Dijk 69')

For the first time in eight years, Bayern Munich have failed to make the Champions League quarterfinals, as Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool won a game short on quality.

An even, nervy opening saw both sides look more afraid to make a mistake than they were keen to cause the opposition a problem.

Unfortunately for Niko Kovac, it was his side who blinked first. Manuel Neuer misjudged a long ball over the top. The keeper rushed out when it looked like staying on his line might have been the better choice. Saido Mane took advantage, showing great control and composure to spin round the Bayern keeper and chip into the unguarded net.

Bayern were rattled, and took a while to recover. Liverpool looked in control, but failed to make it count and before long Bayern found their way back into the game. Serge Gnabry got in behind Andrew Robertson and smashed a low cross towards Robert Lewandowski. But Joel Matip got there first and turned it into his own net.

Lewandowski poked wide, but was offside as Bayern finished the first half with their tails up. Mats Hummels, Thiago and Javi Martinez had impressed the most.

Kovac brought on Kingsley Coman for Franck Ribery, whose potential final Champions League game ended quietly, as the nervousness continued. Bayern continued to play out of the back, but Liverpool slowly started to win the ball back faster and faster. Mo Salah fizzed an effort that Neuer awkwardly punched clear. Liverpool found space in behind Rafinha time and again, but couldn't turn it into a chance.

Bayern were passive, but knowing they needed a goal to advance eventually worked an opening. Again it was Gnabry down the wing, and again it was Lewandowski who was the target but the low cross was just beyond the Pole.

As the final 20 minutes approached, Bayern hearts were broken. Virgil van Dijk beat Hummels in the air to power in a header from a corner, leaving the hosts needing two goals. Kovac reacted, bringing on Leon Goretzka for Javi Martinez but Bayern limped towards the end. Klopp's side, still full of running, found the energy for another - Mane heading in after a perfect cross from Salah.

For Bayern and Kovac, the disappointment will have to be short lived as they look to secure a domestic double in the absence of European glory. For the Bundesliga, bigger questions will be asked because, for the first time in 13 years, there is not a German team in the Champions League quarterfinals.

As it happened:

FULL TIME: The referee puts Bayern and their fans out of their misery. It's been a spineless, shotless display in this second half and the fans have voted with their feet, with the Allianz Arena almost empty. Jürgen Klopp beams at a job well done and that's four Premier League teams in the last eight. There will be no German representatives in Friday's draw. Our match report will be along here any second.

90+1 - There will be three minutes of injury time. Robertson picks up a silly booking for a foul on Goretzka which means he'll miss Liverpool's quarterfinal first leg. Needless that. Had he got through these two minutes, he'd have had the slate wiped clean. 

90' - Sanches finds Co.an in the inside left channel with options, Bayern sniff a consolation but the Frenchman wastes it. 

89' - Coman bundles his way in to the area but can't keep hold of the ball, which rolls out of play. 

87' - Sanches, who has had a terrible time since he's come onn, just whacks a ball out of play. Shades of Sanches at Swansea in 2017/18 there. Milner off, Lallana on for Liverpool.

84' - Job done. Salah spots Mane has drifted off the back of Hummels and picks him out with the outside of his left boot. The Allianz Arena is emptying rapidly and Jürgen Klopp is beaming on the touchline. Bayern have deserved nothing more than this. They've been toothless in this second half and Liverpool have cut them apart at will.

84' - GOAL! Bayern Munich 1 - 3 Liverpool (Mane 84')

83' - Coman lays it back to Sanches 25 yards out. He decides he may as well hit one but it's never threatening the goal. Origi comes on for Firmino.

81' - Goretzka breaks forward, he waits for support but then runs in to a dead end when it starts to arrive. Very poor.

79' - Another change for Bayern. James off, Sanches on.

78' - Liverpool look dangerous every time they win the ball back from Bayern. The hosts have had most of the ball but haven't tested Alisson whatsoever.

75' - CHANCE! Liverpool almost kill the tie on the counter. Firmino turns to find Salah who has MAne over on the left. The Egyptian goes on his own and Rafinha gets a slight touch before Süle scuffs it away as Salah drew back his bow. Neuer wasn't sure if it was a backpass and looked a shade uncertain before hacking it away.

73' - Coman finds space for the first time and flies in to the area but Fabinho does very well to shepherd him away from goal and get a foot in. Liverpool deal with the corner, they've stepped it up in the last 15 minutes or so.

72' - Liverpool come again with another corner. Alexander-Arnold goes deep again and it's headed back across goal to Mane, whose shot is blocked. Bayern replace Martinez with Goretzka, they have no choice but to go for it.

69' - From the resulting corner Van Dijk thumps in a header. Milner hung the dead ball up and the Dutchman rose highest between Hummels and Martinez and planted it past Neuer. Mountain to climb for Bayern now. They need two in just over 20 minutes.

69'- Bayern Munich 1 - 2 Liverpool (Van Dijk 69')

68' - Alexander-Arnold whips in a deep corner with Matip flying in at the back post. It looks for a second like it might drop in but Neuer tips it away.

66' - Coman runs in behind as the ball drops to Lewandowski but the pass is poor and cut out. That was a better chance than it looked. Then Thiago is booked for wrapping his legs rouond Wijnaldum in a tackle. The tension is rising by the minute.

63' - Matip is booked for a fairly stupid tackle from behind on Lewandowski. There was no chance he could win the ball there. The freekick finds Javi Martinez but he's offside.

61' - CHANCE! Bayern spring in to life. Ribery slips Gnabry in down the right. He's in a similar position to the goal and tries a similar low ball. Lewandowski is ahead of Matip but the ball flashes between that pair and Alisson. Kovac does now make a change, with Ribery removed for Coman. A reminder of how much this one is still in the balance.

59' - Bayern have not really got going since the break and Liverpool are starting to take control. Time for a change Mr. Kovac?

55' - The teams take it in turns to give it away - first Gnabry for Bayern, then Milner for Liverpool. It's not been the high class encounter you'd expect of these two.

53' - Lewandowski gallops down the left and feeds inside to Ribery who cuts it back to absolutely no-one. Not sure what he was doing there. 

50' - CHANCE! Gnabry cuts inside and wins a corner off Fabinho but Van Dijk is up to power it away with his head. Liverpool break rapidly, as they do, and feed Salah. He connects sweetly with one but it's straight at Neuer who puches it double handed and away. Salah did have a couple of options there.

49' - Thiago is down now. Replays show Mane did tread on his toe, could be a painful one but he seems alright. 

47' - Mane catches Thiago late in the middle of the park. The referee has a word but decides against a booking. Probably rightly, there wasn't any malice there.

46' - Bayern get us underway in a huge second half.

HALF TIME: A slightly curious half that. Almost nothing happened for the first 25 minutes before a sensational Sadio Mane goal, aided by questionable decisions by Rafinha and Manuel Neuer, gave Liverpool the crucial away goal. Bayern had offered little until Joel Matip turned Serge Gnabry's low cross in to his own net but ended the half well on top.

45' - The visitors are looking shaky now. Lewandowski runs in behind, looks at the linesman and pokes it wide. The flag went up eventually, as it does with VAR.

44' - The Austrian fullback gets it on target but there's nowhere near enough on it to trouble the keeper.

43' - Fabinho is the first man in the book after hacking down James. Alaba fancies this but it's a long way out.

42' - Alisson charges out to pick up a long ball that Lewandowksi had shown interest in. After 25 minutes of caution, we have a game.

39' - They're back in it. Gnabry bursts down the right and drives it low across the face of the goal. Alisson is beaten and Lewwandowski is lurking at the backpost but Matip saves him the job and turns it in to his own net.

39' - GOAL! Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Liverpool (Matip og 39')

38' - Ribery and James try to dovetail on the edge of the Liverpool box but it's not quite precise enough. 

36' - The first corner is cleared behind, the second goes short and is flicked behind by Martinez and the third finally does the job for Bayern.

34' - Ribery tries to buy a freekick on the edge of the box, a little desperately. Liverpool then break through Mane, who finds Robertson on the overlap. The angle is tight and the effort is decent but Neuer beats it behind for a corner.

32' - Bayern have been slow to get up in support of Lewandowski so far but that must surely change soon. They now need two to win.

30' - Liverpool have control of the game and have h ad control of the ball since they scored. Mane, tail up, spins Süle and tries to cross to Salah but Neuer cuts it out. I'd argue the Bayern keeper has some making up to do.

26' - From nowhere, Liverpool take control of the tie with a brilliant goal. Van Dijk lifts a 50 yard ball forward to Mane, who has got inside Rafinha. Neuer doesn't fancy Mane's touch but its sublime and he spins round the advancing keeper. Neuer is stranded but Bayern have defenders back. Mane insolently chips the lot of them and the ball drops in. Stunning strike. 

26' - GOAL! Bayern Munich 0 - 1 Liverpool (Mane 26')

25' - A shot! Firmino finds a yard just outside the box and arrows one towards goal, but it's a foot wide of the post. But still, we'll take it at this stage.

23' - A quarter of the way through and it's fair to say this one has not come to life yet. Neither side are moving the ball through midfield quick enough, though Bayern have had a couple of sniffs after finding Ribery with crossfield balls.

20' - Salah finally gets on the ball and finds Firmino but Martinez snuffs out the danger, as he did so often in the first leg.

18' - Barcelona have taken the lead against Lyon. Some bloke called Lionel Messi scored.

16' - Liverpool haven't really got going yet, they've been a little careless on the ball and Salah has not had a kick. But it's cagey stuff so far.

13' - Yep, Fabinho comes on for Henderson. Tough break for the Liverpool skipper, it looked like he landed badly on his left ankle.

11' - Penalty shout! Lewandowski gets the wrong side of Van Dijk as Martinez lifts a ball back over the top. He goes to ground and the crowd are up and shouting. It looked like the Polish striker didn't really have it under control and hit the deck at the slightest sign of encouragement. Meanwhile, Henderson is down again, looks like his race is run.

10' - Henderson is back on the pitch and cuts out a dangerous run from Ribery.

9' - Gnabry drives inside and tries a give-and-go with Lewandowski. Robertson just about reads it and hacks away to Fimino, who then gives it away to Thiago. He's just outside the box but skies the shot, that's the first real sight of goal we've had.

7' - Henderson lashes a bizarre ball backward from the center on to Robertson's head on the left and he can only head back in to the midfield under pressure. Liverpool got away with it but Henderson is down holding his ankle.

4' - Robertson gets an opportunity to stand up Rafinha. The Scottish fullback tries the old knock and run but the Brazilian is wise to it and intercepts.

2' - Alaba tries to get Ribery free early but he is forced back to Hummels, whose ambitious long ball floats through to Alisson.

1' - Kick Off! Milner gets us underway. Here. We Go.

20:58 - The players emerge from the tunnel to face the Champions League music, which one of them will also be doing in a figurative sense later on. 

20:56 - The lights at the Allianz Arena are blinking on and off as the home side's line up is announced. There's barely an empty seat now. Nearly there.

20:51 - Klopp on midfield selection. The Liverpool coach has been talking to British broadcaster BT Sport on the decision to omit Fabinho and go with Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum. "We wanted to have as many fresh legs in midfield as we can get. The midfield have played often together and played well. They offer a mix of being solid and being athletes against. Let’s do it now.”

20:44 - There is some German involvement in tonight's other Champions League match with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal for Barcelona, who host Lyon. That one was also 0-0 in the first leg.

20:37 - Big game for Hummels tonight, you feel. Of the three senior players frozen out by Joachim Löw, he's the only one that starts tonight, with Thomas Müller suspended and Jerome Boateng on the bench. Hummels had a good game at Anfield but will be wary of being isolated against any of Liverpool's rapid front three.

20:30 - It's fair to say Liverpool's famous front three haven't quite been at their best over the past few weeks and here's a stat that should warm a few Bavarian hearts.

20:24 - The Alimaz Arena isn't always the noisiest of German arenas but it's bound to be tonight. Fans are starting to stream in now, not too long to go.

20:17 - Almost unbelievably, the last time these two European behemoths met (first leg aside) in this competition and its forerunner the European Cup, was in the 1980/81 season. Liverpool won that one on away goals before winning the trophy. Will history repeat itself? 

20:11 - Klopp speaks. The Liverpool boss expects it to be a game of fine margins. “Who will take their chances, who will get it right... that’s what counts tonight,” he said to Sky Germany just now.

"Tonight is about getting into a good rhythm. The pitch is quite big and wide. We’ll definitely have our chances.”

20:06 - We're seeing the first pictures of the tracksuited players, headphones clamped over ears, arrive at theh stadium, where a fair few people have already taken their seats. It has been snowing in Munich but it's a bit brighter today and it looks like the rain will stay away.

20:00 - Klopp has taken a bit of a gamble omitting Fabingo in my eyes. The Brazilian had a shaky start to his Anfield career but has been impressive over the last few months. But Milner, despite the doubters, has often impressed on the big stage and is one of the most reliable players around. No Naby Keita for Liverpool, who picked up a knock a few days ago.

19:54 - Bayern Munich name team. The answer to those questions I posed at 19:42 are - Ribery and Hummels are preferred to Coman and Boateng as Kovac opts for experience in what's sure to be a high pressure evening. Manuel Neuer makes his 100th Champions League appearance between the sticks and it's a Spanish-speaking central midfield with James Rodriguez joining Thiago and Javi Martinez. 

19:47 - Liverpool team announced. The English side are quick out the blocks with their teamsheet. It's much as expected, with the fact that James Milner has taken that last spot in midifeld ahead of Fabinho the only slight surprise. 

19:42 - We should be getting the teamsheets fairly shortly. The big questions for Bayern are probably over the left wing spot - the pace and trickery of Coman vs. the big game experience of Ribery - and who partners Niklas Süle at center back - Boateng or Hummels? Liverpool's lineup is largely settled but Klopp has decisions to make in central midfield. 

19:37 - It seems Bayern have a fan who's flown in from Chicago for the occassion.

19:32 - I hope you'll allow me to break off from the Champions League chat for a moment to draw your attention an interview we did with Reinhard Grindel, which featured a spectacular flounce out. There's a link to the full story in the tweet there.

19:24 - Niko Kovac was also eager to talk up the game: "Tomorrow the whole world will be watching. It's a highlight, not just for the players and coaches, but also for all fans and the media."

The Croatian boss also praised backup fullback Rafinha, who is expected to fill in for the suspended Joshua Kimmich at right back, despite criticizing Kovac's treatment of him a few weeks ago.

"He has played very well in the last two matches, both offensively and defensively," said Kova, who also confirmed that Kingsley Coman and David Alaba are fit. "Switching from left to right won't be a problem for him - right back is his position."

19:18 - Klopp has been in pretty positive form in the buildup to this one, despite his side having lost their last five on the road in the Champions League. “We have only one year together in the Champions League but we have it, and we have another year together in the Europa League. That means so far we were pretty successful when we were part of the competition,” the German boss said.

“That is all we need to be confident but confidence alone is nothing. You have to be really strong on the night. I like this situation. There is no real pressure. I only see it as an opportunity. Win it or go out. Everyone knows you can go out against Bayern and no one will say: ‘How could that happen?’ That’s how we see it. We wanted and we still want to prove our value in Europe again.”

19:07 - Virgil van Dijk will return for Liverpool tonight after missing the first leg through suspension. He’ll be anticipating a tough task up against Robert Lewandowski, who’s now the top scorer in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. But his recent records in knockout ties isn’t so hot. As this piece explains.

18:57 - It’s been a round of shocks so far in the Champions League but it’s hard to see how this one could fit that bill. If Jürgen Klopp’s side were favorites a few months ago, it looks about 50/50 now. Klopp may well look for the sort of fast and furious start his side became adept at last season and sacrifice a little of the control that’s given them consistency in the league. Any away goal is going to be a real dagger to Bayern’s heart.

18:45 - Hello, and welcome to the big one. After Borussia Dortmund and Schalke emerged from their Premier League encounters battered, bruised and out of the Champions League, Bayern Munich try to ensure a German participant in the quarterfinal draw on Friday.

Bayern were in big trouble when this one was drawn but have hit form at just the right time, returning to the top of the Bundesliga this weekend after a 6-0 win over Wolfsburg. Liverpool haven't been in quite such strong form as Schalke's conquerors Manchester City have overhauled them in the Premier League.

Niko Kovac kept thing tight in the first leg at Anfield and, though it was the sort of performance they needed, Bayern were a little fortunate to come away with a 0-0. But than can be a dangerous result, given the away goals rule. Should he stick or twist?