Champions League: Liverpool-Bayern, Lyon-Barcelona produce drama but no goals

Both of Tuesday’s Champions League round of 16 matches finished scoreless, but the games between Liverpool and Bayern Munich at Anfield and Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais in France were anything but boring.

And the twin stalemates means that three of Europe’s biggest clubs — with all due respect to Lyon — will have everything to play for when the second and decisive games of their two-leg, total goals series kick off on March 13.

Liverpool frustrated at home

Liverpool produced 10 first-half shots to Bayern’s seven, but the Reds managed the only shot on goal. The hosts should’ve had at least two, but striker Sadio Mane’s pulled this team’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes criminally wide in what was probably the clearest chance for either side all evening:

Still, it’s not like the visitors didn’t have opportunities of their own. Bayern’s Serge Gnabry looked like he might have had Reds keeper Alisson beaten on this blast from distance, but he couldn’t keep the ball down on a rainy night in Liverpool:

Bayern will take the point nonetheless, knowing that any win in Germany will be enough to see it through to the quarterfinals of the planet’s top club competition.

On the other hand, the Reds, while frustrated on Tuesday, can probably live with the result as well. Jurgen Klopp’s side can advance with any draw other than a scoreless one next month thanks to the away goals rule. What’s more, veteran Munich defender Joshua Kimmich will miss that tilt because of yellow card accumulation, having picked up a caution in the first half of Tuesday’s match.

Lyon puts on defensive masterclass against Messi, Barcelona

Barcelona traveled to France as the clear favorites, but somebody forgot to tell Lyon. The Ligue 1 side managed just four first-half shots to the visitors’ 14, but two of those forced spectacular saves out of Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen inside the first 10 minutes.

Firs, ter Stegen parried Houssem Aouar’s tricky low drive with both hands. Then the German backstop produced this magnificent stop on a long-range bomb off the foot of Martin Terrier:

In the second half, it was all Barca. The Catalans dominated possession and finished with an astounding 25 attempts on goal yet couldn’t find the breakthrough. Part of the reason was the play of Lyon right back Leo Dubois, who consistently got the better the visitors’ all-world striker duo Luis Suarez and the incomparable Lionel Messi.

It was a draw that felt like a win for Olympique Lyonnais, judging by reaction from the home fans. Yet for all the good vibes, the French side will still be hard-pressed to do the unthinkable and eliminate Barca before the quarterfinals when it travels to the Camp Nou in two weeks. Then again, nobody gave Lyon much of a chance in this one, either.

Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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