Bayern were held to a 1-1 draw by RB Salzburg in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 thanks to a 90th-minute goal from Kingsley Coman. The Bavarians have not lost away in the Champions League since September 2017. Liverpool, meanwhile, got the better of Inter with a 2-0 win in Italy on goals from Firmino and Mo Salah.
For the third time in the history of the Champions League, Austrian giants RB Salzburg faced German giants Bayern Munich. The first two encounters had each time turned out largely in favor of the Bavarians. The Austrians were determined to make a difference in the first leg of their last 16 tie at home and give themselves some hope of reaching the quarter-finals. "I think we can make life difficult for Bayern. Our intensity can hurt them and we will play to win the game," said RB Salzburg's young star Karim Adeyemi before the match.
The young German of Nigerian origin was right. The Austrians didn't calculate. They played, they ran and they opened the score in the 21st minute thanks to Junior Chukwubuike Adamu (20). The Nigerian-born Austrian international started the game on the bench. He came on in the 12th minute to replace Noah Okafor, another RB Salzburg player from Nigeria.
Firmino and Salah put Liverpool in good stead
RB Salzburg held on to that advantage until the 90th minute. The Austrians believed they would inflict Bayern Munich's first away defeat since a 3-0 loss at the Parc des Princes in September 2017. However, thanks to Kingsley Coman, the Bavarians equalized in the final minute of normal time. They have not lost away from Germany for 21 Champions League games. The draw, however, after the 4-2 defeat in the Bundelisga against Bochum at the weekend, is a question mark.
In the other game of the evening at Guiseppe Meaza, Inter Milan hosted Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp had decided to start his two African stars, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah, despite the criticism. The former, freshly crowned African champion gave way to Luis Diaz on the hour mark. He had two great chances in the first half but failed to hit the target. And the second, who was not in the limelight in the first half, showed that he is a formidable finisher. The goal was the eighth goal of the season for Liverpool. It is the 8th goal of the season in the Champions League for the Pharaoh. He is back in Italy with a smile on his face.
