sport news German media celebrate Bayern Munich's hard-fought draw with Liverpool

It isn't often that Bayern Munich celebrate a 0-0 draw as if it were a win. A goalless draw at Anfield, though, is slightly different to a goalless draw in your average Bundesliga match.

Tuesday night's stalemate with Liverpool, earned over 90 minutes of gruelling concentration, certainly felt like a mini-victory for Niko Kovac's Bayern.

'What was that about Bayern being in crisis?' chirped the sports pages in Bild on Wednesday morning, lavishing praise on Bayern for a surprisingly solid performance.

Franck Ribery arrives at John Lennon Airport on Wednesday as Bayern Munich prepare to fly home

David Alaba steps off the team coach

Franck Ribery (left) and David Alaba arrive at John Lennon Airport after drawing with Liverpool

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac was pleased with his side's 0-0 draw at Anfield

Joshua Kimmich is set to miss the second leg

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac (left) and Joshua Kimmich prepare to board their flight

THE SECOND LEG 

Date: March 13

Kick-off time: 8pm

Venue: Allianz Arena 

'Kovac had a plan, and his players followed him,' wrote Germany's biggest newspaper. 'Bayern haven't looked that compact and disciplined in a long time.'

'Thanks to a courageous performance, Bayern go into the second leg in a good position,' wrote Munich newspaper TZ. 

The sense of relief in Germany is palpable. Bayern are by no means through yet, but there was a genuine fear among many fans of German football that this Champions League round of 16 could turn into a bit of a horror show. 

Schalke are expected to be blown away by Manchester City, and after Borussia Dortmund's collapse against Tottenham last week, Bayern were once again the last hope. Yet many feared that they too would be rolled over by a formidable Liverpool attack.

Instead, Bayern picked a good moment to pull out their best defensive performance this season. 

Javi Martinez was a towering presence, Mats Hummels returned to his previous, astonishing levels of precision and Serge Gnabry looked dangerous going forward.

Bayern's players salute their travelling fans after battling to a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Tuesday

Bayern's players salute their

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