Bayern Munich vs FC Porto Tickets

The thrill of watching a game at the famous Allianz Arena, one of the best stadiums in the world and one that has been renovated to bring it firmly into the modern age, is something of a must for all football fans, not just those who support Die Bayern. The club has enjoyed unparalleled success in Germany, and they are very effective when competing in European competitions to boot.

As for 2023, the Bavarian side has six titles in UEFA’s flagship tournament, covering both the European Cup era and the UEFA Champions League period that has followed.

Their first involvement came in 1969-70 when they were beaten by Saint-Etienne in the First Round. They returned in 1972/73 and made it through to the Quarter-Final before Ajax toppled them.

Then followed an incredible period of success. Bayern Munich, with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Sepp Maier, and Uli Hoeness on board, won three European Cups in a row, first under the guidance of Udo Lattek and then Dettmar Cramer.

The first of those wins came after a replay, with Atletico Madrid thrashed 4-0 after a cagey 1-1 draw. The following season Leeds United were defeated 2-0, and then, in arguably the most tricky of the three finals, Bayern Munich edged out Saint-Etienne in Glasgow, with Franz Roth scoring the game’s only goal.

1982 saw the team taste final defeat for the first time, losing to Aston Villa 1-0, and in 1986/87, they were surprisingly beaten by FC Porto.

In 1998/99, it looked as if Bayern Munich would win their first UEFA Champions League trophy, with Mario Basler’s early goal seemingly set to give the club a comfortable win over Manchester United. Indeed they then hit the woodwork twice, but somehow Sir Alex Ferguson’s side came back to win 2-1 in injury time.

It was the kind of loss that could have haunted the players involved on that evening, but fortunately, the nucleus of that side got a sense of redemption just two years later when they defeated Valencia on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Milan.

Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan tore Bayern Munich apart in another UEFA Champions League Final loss, with Diego Milito scoring both goals in a 2-0 win in 2010. Once again, the German side got to make up for that loss pretty quickly, beating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, courtesy of an Arjen Robben winner.

2019/20 saw Bayern Munich collect their sixth crown, Kingsley Coman scoring the only goal of the game against Paris Saint-Germain.

FC Porto’s record in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League is a mixed one, though the Portuguese side has won the tournament on two occasions, which is perhaps more than one might associate with a team of their relative size.

In the 1950s, they twice failed to get through the preliminary rounds to get into the main European Cup competition. In the late 1970s, they didn’t do much better, and that’s why their maiden success, in 1987, was very much a shock.

Arthur Jorge’s side were very much the underdogs for the game in Vienna, and Ludwig Kogl gave Udo Lattek’s side the lead after 25 minutes, and the score remained the same until 13 minutes from the end.

That’s when Algerian legend Rabah Madjer slotted home a backheel, and then just three minutes later, Brazilian substitute Juary volleyed in a second to complete an incredible comeback success.

In the early editions of the UEFA Champions League, FC Porto did little to suggest that they might win the competition any time soon, but the arrival of Jose Mourinho at the helm changed all that. The ‘Special One’ had won the UEFA Cup the year before as his side took the challenge in 2003/04.

FC Porto beat Manchester United, Lyon, and Deportivo La Coruna to set up a final with AS Monaco, and it was a game the Dragões dominated from start to finish. Goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco, and Dmitri Alenichev secured an impressive 3-0 win in Gelsenkirchen.

Bayern Munich vs FC Porto Head-to-Head

These two sides have met on numerous occasions in competitive European action, their first match coming in the aforementioned 1987 European Cup Final. Since then, Bayern Munich have had the upper hand in the fixture.

In 1990/91, Bayern Munich completed a 3-1 aggregate win to knock out the Portuguese side in the European Cup Quarter-Finals. In 1999/2000, the scoreline was 3-2 on aggregate as the Bundesliga side once again eliminated FC Porto, once again in the Quarter-Final stage.

In 2014/15, they did battle in yet another Quarter-Final. FC Porto would have felt in control after a 3-1 home win, with Ricardo Quaresma scoring twice, but Bayern Munich thrashed their opponents 6-1 at the Allianz Arena, with Robert Lewandowski netting twice to complete a 7-4 success.

Bayern Munich vs FC Porto Connections

There have been precious few players to have represented both Bayern Munich and FC Porto. One example of note is Colombian attacker James Rodriguez.

The cultured forward moved to FC Porto from Argentine side Banfield in 2010 and was an instant hit. In three seasons at the Estadio do Dragao, Rodriguez played 107 games and scored 32 goals winning three Primeira Liga titles and a UEFA Europa League crown.

He then moved to AS Monaco before spending five seasons at Real Madrid before securing a two-season loan spell at Bayern Munich.

He scored 15 goals in 67 games for the German side, winning the Bundesliga in both the seasons he played at the club. He then joined Premier League side Everton before moving on to play in Qatar, Greece, and then Brazil.