This week’s Tuesday night fixtures brought us the final batch of matches from the Champions League group stages with a few spots for the next round still up for grabs.
The likes of Liverpool, Ajax, Barcelona, Marseille and others all battled it out before the competition is paused till the end of December.
German giants Bayern Munich were also in action. They hosted Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in the evening, with both teams already booked their seats for the round of 16.
Bayern were the confirmed group winners as well, having won all 5 of their matches. Inter, with a defeat & a draw, held on to the runners-up position in the group.
Neither of the teams had anything to lose, but they wanted to go into the World Cup break on a high.
Strong sides were named as Julian Nagelsmann’s men looked to get a 100% group stage winning record for the 2nd year running against a buoyant Simone Inzaghi with his playing 11 seeking to make a late statement.
The Bavarians ended up winning the game comfortably with a 2-0 margin, the same as the reverse fixture at the San Siro.
Frenchman Benjamin Pavard opened the scoring with his header in the 32nd minute and claimed his 2nd goal of the season.
An in-form Eric Choupo-Moting scored with a brilliant effort from outside the box in the 72nd minute to beat the Nerazzurri goalkeeper and make it 2-0 for the night.
While the Cameroonian striker netted in his 6th consecutive game for Bayern, Pavard, on the other hand, made news for his celebration rather than his goal.
The versatile defender hit a knee slide towards the corner after nodding home Joshua Kimmich’s dead-ball delivery and slowly “dabbing” as the rest of the team gathered around him.
Instead of just repeating a now cliched gesture, Twitter reckons Pavard was actually paying a special tribute to the late American rapper Takeoff, who was shot dead earlier that day.
Part of the popular group Migos, Takeoff helped garner the world’s attention to the famous “dab” dance step in 2015 with the song “Look At My Dab”.
The 28-year-old was killed in a shooting at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas following an argument after a private party.
Benjamin Pavard paid a fitting homage to the deceased artist with his commemoration and as usual, Twitter users were divided in their opinions.
With the World Cup fast approaching, Pavard is seen getting back to his best form both defensively and in attacking scenarios.
The French national team would be counting on him to emulate his spoils from the tournament 4 years back which won him the Goal of The Tournament and help them defend their crown.
