Erling Haaland plus this defence means Man City are European champions-elect! Winners and losers as Pep Guardiola's side batter Bayern Munich

Before Tuesday's game, Dias spoke of how he dealt with with the pain of losing the 2021 Champions League final.

"A wise man told me we did not lose the final, we took a step closer to winning it," he said. It was a fascinating insight into the Portuguese's mindset and how he compartmentalises setbacks.

The more obvious side of his leadership skills were, meanwhile, on full display on the pitch here. Dias was a colossus at the back, shackling Serge Gnabry early on and then throwing his body in the way of a goal-bound shot from Jamal Musiala, provoking a howl of frustration from Thomas Tuchel on the sideline.

He barely put a foot wrong in the second half too, and nearly stabbed in a second goal, thwarted by the fingertips of Yann Sommer.

But it was not just Dias - all of City's defenders were on top of their game. Manuel Akanji threw himself into tackles, Nathan Ake was unbeatable and John Stones was exceptional.

City have scored many goals in crunch Champions League games in the past but their defence has let them down. There was little danger of that happening against Bayern, though.

The mad two-month spell in 2021 when Tuchel won three consecutive games against City as Chelsea manager seems like a world away.

Guardiola completely out-thought his old adversary here and Tuchel had little response.

Hired at the expense of Julian Nagelsmann partly due to his Champions League-winning credentials, the German did not live up to his reputation as a master strategist for the big occasion.

His side barely troubled City in the first half, and although they improved in the second and briefly had their opponents on the backfoot, he failed to capitalise on the momentum.

His substitutions came too late, and Bayern failed to manage City's late surge, in which they effectively put the tie beyond doubt.

This was a very different performance than Haaland's last Champions League outing, in which he netted five goals against RB Leipzig.

Beating Bayern demanded more hold-up play and running off the ball, and Haaland did exactly that, producing a disciplined first-half display as City sought to wear the visitors down rather than blitz them.

The blitz came in the second half, when Haaland showed the other side of his game, providing a peach of a cross on to the head of Bernardo. And just for good measure, he provided a goal of his own, delivering an emphatic volley from close range.

That was his 11th Champions League goal for City in only seven appearances, and it meant he became the first Premier League player to score 45 goals in all competitions in a single season, usurping Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mohamed Salah.

If he can keep up his remarkable record in the competition in the remaining games, City's long wait to win the Champions League will surely come to an end.

When City were struggling and Bayern's confidence was soaring, France defender Upamecano made a catastrophic error to help double the hosts' lead.

He failed to spot the danger from Jack Grealish's pressing and surrendered possession in a crucial area.

Unfortunately for him, City took full advantage, Grealish backheeling the ball to Haaland in a flash and Bernardo nodding home the Norwegian's cross.

But against an opponent like City on an occasion like this, such lapses of concentration are unforgiveable.

In a City team overflowing with attacking talent, Rodri is an often an unsung hero.

Here, though, he took centre-stage with an inspired shot from range which opened the scoring.

With his weaker left foot and at least 25 yards from goal, the Spaniard picked his spot and curled the ball right into the far top corner.

It was an unstoppable strike to which Sommer, usually so reliable at shot-stopping, had no answer.

The goal unlocked a tense and tight game but it was far from Rodri's only contribution. He was calm in possession and used his strength to ensure City dominated the midfield battle for the majority of the game.

Bayern was Cancelo's escape route after losing his place in the City team, but he was yet again benched for a crunch match here, just as he was against Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.

And despite warming-up shortly before half-time, he did not get on the pitch until the 81st minute and was greeted by boos from City supporters who idolised him only three months ago.

It must have been a harrowing night for the Portuguese. He left a team that now look like one of the favourites to win the Champions League and was deemed not suitable to face them.

And worst of all, from the sidelines he watched his old side play seamlessly in a brand new 3-2-4-1 formation which they felt he was not good enough to perform in.

Bayern do not view Cancelo as important or worthy of a permanent move, while City have already moved on without him. That must be hard to digest.