Jamie Carragher slammed Bayern Munich’s two centre-backs for their costly error that led to Jhon Duran’s late winner for Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The two teams appeared to be heading for a goalless draw at Villa Park before second-half substitute Duran scored an audacious winner in the dying moments.
Nine minutes after replacing Ollie Watkins, the 20-year-old striker received a pinpoint pass from Pau Torres and fired the ball over Manuel Neuer with an astonishing 40-yard strike to secure a dramatic 1-0 win for Unai Emery’s side.
The swift, counterattacking goal came from Bayern’s own attacking set piece, and Carragher laid the blame firmly at the door of centre-back duo Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano for a costly error the pair made as they retreated.
‘We spoke about Bayern Munich’s centre-backs before the game and, for me, they are the problem in terms of Aston Villa’s winning goal,’ the former Liverpool centre-back said during his analysis for CBS Sports.
‘The goal comes from their own set piece and when they have to get back they are on the opposite side because Kim usually plays on the left and Upamecano on the right.
‘But instead of running back like they are they cross over. So now it’s a longer run for Upamecano and as the ball comes to Dhuran he’s on the wrong side and he can never get back.
‘There should be no problem in them just going back on the opposite sides to start with because they have to spot that danger of Duran.’
Micah Richards echoed Carragher’s sentiments and took aim at Kim’s lack of defensive awareness as he retreated in the build-up to the winning goal.
‘He’s running back into position and he doesn’t even know where the ball is,’ Richards said of the South Korean.
‘He can’t see where the ball is. When you’re a defender you’re supposed to run back into position and look where the ball is. This is Under-10s stuff and it’s cost them.’
Vincent Kompany, meanwhile, felt his team were left to rue their missed chances at the other end of the pitch.
‘We missed some big chances and they scored the chance. We’ve got to take the learnings from this,’ the Bayern manager told TNT Sports.
‘When we have the ball, we’re dangerous, but they’re a strong team, this isn’t an easy place. It wasn’t a bad performance’
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