UEFA Champions League Round of 16, first leg games continue
Lyon hold five-time winners Barcelona to goalless draw
Last year's finalists Liverpool draw blank at Anfield against Bayern Munich
Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg action failed to deliver a single goal, as Lyon held a rampant Barcelona and Liverpool failed to take a lead in their two-legged affair with Bayern in front of the Anfield faithful. It was the first Champions League night without a single goal since 15 March 2016.
Bayern Munich prevented 2018 runners-up Liverpool from taking an advantage into their second-leg meeting at Allianz Arena in March. Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both came close to breaking the deadlock, but Manuel Neuer and Co. did enough on the night to keep them off the scoresheet. That is no easy feat as it was the first time that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool had failed to find a goal at Anfield in a UEFA match in 17 games.
The one piece of bad news for the German champions is that utility man Joshua Kimmich will miss the second leg due to his first-half yellow card.
Lyon and Barcelona both failed to find a goal in a Champions League match for the first time this season in their first-leg meeting in France. Goalkeeper Anthony Lopes faced a multitude of shots from Barcelona and he stood up to every challenge.
Both shotstoppers had plenty to do, though, as Lyon's young star Houssem Aouar forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into making a save before Martin Terrier forced the Barça keeper to tip a shot onto the crossbar.
Lopes also has defender Jason Denayer to thank as the young Belgium led the Lyon backline in a solid defensive display to ultimately thwart the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
The results leave Barcelona and Bayern Munich with a slight advantage when they welcome Lyon and Liverpool in the second leg on 13 March. According to Gracenote, based on historic results in all European competitions, Barça and Bayern have a 65.4 per cent chance of advancing to the quarter-finals, while both Liverpool and Lyon have a 34.6 per cent chance.
Did you know?
Only AC Milan (11) and Manchester United (7) have recorded more goalless draws in the Champions League knockout stages than Barcelona (6).
The last time Barcelona attempted more than 20 shots in an away match in the Champions League knockout stages was on 18 April 2012 in a 1-0 defeat by Chelsea
A European match between Liverpool and Bayern Munich in England has now finished 0-0 three times
Second legs Bayern Munich v Liverpool, 13 March Barcelona v Olympique Lyon, 13 March