SALZBURG, Feb 17: Kingsley Coman scored late to salvage a 1-1 draw for Bayern Munich at Salzburg on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 meeting.
Coman, who scored Bayern’s winner in the 2020 final, equalized in the last minute to prevent the Bavarian powerhouse from slumping to its second consecutive defeat.
Bayern, which had come from behind to win 6-2 on its previous trip to Salzburg in the group stage last season, was forced to do it again after Junior Chukwubuike Adamu’s 21st-minute opener for the Austrian champions.
Salzburg was playing in the Champions League knockout phase for the first time.
The 20-year-old Adamu eluded Niklas Süle and curled his shot inside the right post after a long ball from Mohamed Camara found Karim Adeyemi on the right wing.
Adeyemi, reportedly a transfer target for Bayern’s Bundesliga rival Borussia Dortmund, surged past Lucas Hernández before Brenden Aaronson helped the ball onto Adamu, who swept in.
The home side had a penalty appeal before the break, after Benjamin Pavard’s attempted clearance caught Adeyemi, too. A VAR check decided in favor of the Bayern defender.
Bayern pushed hard after the interval. Coman drew a good save from Philipp Köhn in the 73rd, and the Salzburg keeper denied Leroy Sané and gathered the rebound ahead of the Bayern forward minutes later.
Pavard produced a vital block to deny Adamu a second goal in the 81st, and the home fans were to rue to the miss when Coman beat Köhn at the near post to fire in the equalizer from Pavard’s hopeful cross after Thomas Müller helped it on. (AP)
