Barcelona made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League after drawing with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena this evening.
The German side played with more purpose and discipline at home than they did at the Camp Nou last week but still could not beat their Spanish counterparts, who were more relaxed with their commanding lead.
An early chance to Luca Toni could have given Bayern the perfect start but he missed his header, and only in the second-half did the German side finally break through.
Franck Ribery, arguably the strongest player for Bayern over both legs, was the scorer as he latched onto a Ze Roberto pass to take it around Victor Valdes and smash home, and that at least gave the home crowd something to cheer about.
Pass-masters Barcelona soon quashed any excitement though with lengthy spells of possession and after a lovely flowing move they secured a draw when Seydou Keita hit home from the edge of the box.
The result will no doubt disappoint Bayern as they proved that with more discipline they can live with Barcelona, but over two legs they were not able to keep up with the Spanish side.
Next up for Pep Guardiola and his men are Chelsea, who knocked out Liverpool after a sensational game at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Even though Barcelona held the four goal lead coming into the game, Pep Guardiola decided to stick with nearly his strongest team from the off, with Eric Abidal returning at left-back after a few months out. Jose Sosa was the main addition to the Bayern side from the first-leg and his cross should have been converted by Luca Toni after five minutes, but the striker completely mis-timed his header and barely made contact.
It would have been the perfect start for the home team and they continued to press Barcelona; Toni and Franck Ribery combining well, and then the Frenchman blazing just over the bar. Barcelona looked as though they were prepared to be more patient than at home, where they blitzed Bayern in the opening stages, and were happy to hold onto the ball and play it around amongst themselves.
Samuel Eto'o finally seemed to spark some attacking intent into the visitors when he hit a shot over the bar and after that Barcelona came onto the front foot. Lionel Messi yet again began to torment Christian Lell and Eto'o was only denied a clear chance on goal by a great tackle from Lucio at the back.
At the other end Bayern continued to work hard and look more threatening than in the first-leg but they couldn't get the break through and too often Toni was isolated. The Italian had a good chance to test Victor Valdes himself towards the end of the half but again mistimed his effort and it went high and wide of the goal.
After the break, Bayern took just two minutes to take the lead on the evening though as Ribery, the most dangerous player over both legs for the German side, was played through down the left by Ze Roberto and dummied around Valdes before smashing home. The goal finally gave the fans inside the Allianz Arena something to cheer about but the team couldn't build on the goal as Barcelona continued to look comfortable in possession.
Even when the German side did manage to get it from their Catalan opponents they were unable to do anything with it, and Toni's control deserted him on more than one occasion. Barcelona were prepared to be patient and wait for their chances and they eventually grabbed an away goal in superb style with twenty minutes to go.
Eto'o started the move when he picked up the ball just outside the box, and played two one-twos with Andres Iniesta, before the Spaniard flicked it into the area, where it was layed off for Keita to smash home from the edge. It was a brilliant goal that signified what Barcelona have been all about this season and it put an end to any hopes that Bayern had of a comeback.
Toni was adjudged to be offside when he tapped home late on and even though changes were made by Bayern, they did not have the desired effect. Mark Van Bommel hit a shot from distance that drifted wide and with the clock running down, Xavi lifted a free-kick over the wall and just over the bar, as neither side could win on the night.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Barcelona (Aggregat 1-5)
Barcelona made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League after drawing with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena this evening.
The German side played with more purpose and discipline at home than they did at the Camp Nou last week but still could not beat their Spanish counterparts, who were more relaxed with their commanding lead.
An early chance to Luca Toni could have given Bayern the perfect start but he missed his header, and only in the second-half did the German side finally break through.
Franck Ribery, arguably the strongest player for Bayern over both legs, was the scorer as he latched onto a Ze Roberto pass to take it around Victor Valdes and smash home, and that at least gave the home crowd something to cheer about.
Pass-masters Barcelona soon quashed any excitement though with lengthy spells of possession and after a lovely flowing move they secured a draw when Seydou Keita hit home from the edge of the box.
The result will no doubt disappoint Bayern as they proved that with more discipline they can live with Barcelona, but over two legs they were not able to keep up with the Spanish side.
Next up for Pep Guardiola and his men are Chelsea, who knocked out Liverpool after a sensational game at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Even though Barcelona held the four goal lead coming into the game, Pep Guardiola decided to stick with nearly his strongest team from the off, with Eric Abidal returning at left-back after a few months out. Jose Sosa was the main addition to the Bayern side from the first-leg and his cross should have been converted by Luca Toni after five minutes, but the striker completely mis-timed his header and barely made contact.
It would have been the perfect start for the home team and they continued to press Barcelona; Toni and Franck Ribery combining well, and then the Frenchman blazing just over the bar. Barcelona looked as though they were prepared to be more patient than at home, where they blitzed Bayern in the opening stages, and were happy to hold onto the ball and play it around amongst themselves.
Samuel Eto'o finally seemed to spark some attacking intent into the visitors when he hit a shot over the bar and after that Barcelona came onto the front foot. Lionel Messi yet again began to torment Christian Lell and Eto'o was only denied a clear chance on goal by a great tackle from Lucio at the back.
At the other end Bayern continued to work hard and look more threatening than in the first-leg but they couldn't get the break through and too often Toni was isolated. The Italian had a good chance to test Victor Valdes himself towards the end of the half but again mistimed his effort and it went high and wide of the goal.
After the break, Bayern took just two minutes to take the lead on the evening though as Ribery, the most dangerous player over both legs for the German side, was played through down the left by Ze Roberto and dummied around Valdes before smashing home. The goal finally gave the fans inside the Allianz Arena something to cheer about but the team couldn't build on the goal as Barcelona continued to look comfortable in possession.
Even when the German side did manage to get it from their Catalan opponents they were unable to do anything with it, and Toni's control deserted him on more than one occasion. Barcelona were prepared to be patient and wait for their chances and they eventually grabbed an away goal in superb style with twenty minutes to go.
Eto'o started the move when he picked up the ball just outside the box, and played two one-twos with Andres Iniesta, before the Spaniard flicked it into the area, where it was layed off for Keita to smash home from the edge. It was a brilliant goal that signified what Barcelona have been all about this season and it put an end to any hopes that Bayern had of a comeback.
Toni was adjudged to be offside when he tapped home late on and even though changes were made by Bayern, they did not have the desired effect. Mark Van Bommel hit a shot from distance that drifted wide and with the clock running down, Xavi lifted a free-kick over the wall and just over the bar, as neither side could win on the night.
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