Top Headlines and Latest news from India, Indian Cities and news from around the World on Political, Current Affairs, Sports, Technical, Gadgets, Entertainment and on more.
Bayern Munich 4-2 Juventus (6-4 agg): Champions League
Didn’t I tell you that this would be the best football match
tonight? It turned out to be the best match of this year’s competition,
heck, probably the best two-legged tie we have seen for years in the Champions League. It was breathless from start to finish, but what a difference between the beginning and end of this game. Juventus
were flawless for the first hour: they ran themselves into the ground,
they forced mistakes from Bayern and for all Bayern’s possession, Juve
made the far better chances. The thing is, with the score at 2-0, they
didn’t finish Bayern off. Morata (x2) and Cuadrado both missed
gilt-edged chances. Juve’s wrongly had a goal wrongly ruled out for
offside. They would pay for those mistakes. Guardiola were
tactically out-thought by Allegri, but it was his changes that made the
difference in getting Bayern back into this match. Two of his subs:
Thiago and Coman scored in extra time to seal this win, and Coman, on
loan from Juventus, also provided the cross for Müller’s 91st-minute
equaliser. What a player the Frenchman will be, what a player he is
already. Juventus’ changes, taking off Morata and Cuadrado, also meant
that Juventus were increasingly on the back foot. In the end, the
pressure proved too great. Would Juventus have survived if they had had
the presence of Chiellini, the legs of Marchisio, the clinical Dybala?
We’ll never know. Thanks for joining me, tonight was a joy. Ta for the emails and tweets, see you next time. Bye!
ET 29 min: Bonucci has one final chance for Juventus,
but again Neuer is there, standing tall, to collect his effort. He
knows he should have done better. Juve know, after the position that
they put themselves in, that they should have done better.
ET 26 min: Two golden chances for Juventus! Oh,
they could so easily have got themselves back into this game. But a
fantastic Neuer save from a Mandzukic volley (that he should have
buried) and the subsequent rebound, scuffed over the bar from Sturaro
(all of four yards out) means Bayern keep their two-goal advantage.
ET 22 min:
Coman is on loan from Juventus, but it is a long-term one, two years I
think, and Bayern have the right to buy him at the end of that loan.
They surely will, hes got the second most assists in the Champions League this season. And he’s only 19. Regarding the loan clause that I mentioned earlier, I am mistaken: “Remember
the Chelsea Atletico Champions League Semi Final saga a few years ago
while Courtois was on loan there?” remembers Cian Mulligan. “They don’t
hold up in Europe.”
Game
over. And it’s Coman, on loan from Juventus, who has delivered the
telling blow. But what a goal. Vidal, just as he did for Bayern’s
equaliser, nips in to win the ball in midfield and he feeds Coman. The
Frenchman is well inside his own half, but with Juventus
committed forwards, he breaks into space and isn’t challenged until
he’s travelled a full 60 yards. Bonucci eventually gets to him, but he
is only a bystander as Coman cuts in on his weaker left, and curls a
beautiful shot into the top left-hand corner.
Kingsley Coman makes it 4-2. Photograph: Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images
Then celebrates with fellow goal-scorer Thiago, right. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
Is
that the winner? Thiago plays a delightful one-two with Müller on the
edge of Juve’s area and his first-time finish catches Buffon off guard,
the ball rolling into the corner. I’m not sure he would have got there
anyway. The Allianz Arena erupts. Thiago rips off his shirt in delight,
yellow card. But he doesn’t care. Juventus look broken.
Thiago strokes the ball past Gianluigi Buffon to give Juventus the lead. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
Thiago wheels away in celebration. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images
ET 16 min: Coman, on loan from Juventus remember, is looking the most dangerous player for Bayern at the moment. It seems baffling that Juventus didn’t insert a clause in Coman’s contract when they let him go. Somebody in the admin office is getting a clip round the ear.
ET 15 min:
In case you’re not aware, Arsenal didn’t make it through to the last
eight in Barcelona. And the world continues to turn. The sixth
successive season that Arsenal have gone out in the last 16 of this
competition.
ET 11 min: Juventus win a free-kick in Bayern’s
half. Here come the cavalry: Barzagli, Bonucci, Pogba. But it’s an awful
delivery, and doesn’t beat the first man.
ET 9 min: Coman has been a breath of fresh air
on that right hand side. He is so strong and brushes past Evra to the
byline, but his cross is well intercepted at the near post by the
everpresent Bonucci.
ET 7 min: It’s heartening to see Juventus
adopting the same approach with which they had such success in the
first half. They are pressing the ball high up the pitch. But have they
still got the legs? Hmmmm.
ET 5 min: Ribery gets to the byline on the left,
twists and turns to make half a yard, and crashes a cross/shot towards
goal. Buffon decides not to catch it, and punches it back out into the
danger zone but Lichtsteiner is there to boot it away.
ET 3 min: Fantastic chance for Lichtsteiner!
Sturaro does well down the right, gets a low cross to the near post
where Mandzukic is waiting. With his back to goal, he has the strength
to hold off Alaba, and lays the ball back to Lichtsteiner … good save
from Neuer. The Swiss full-back should probably have done better but the
ball fell on his weaker left foot and Neuer got down well to his right.
Interesting to see that in the small break
before we kick off again, whilst Guardiola is giving his Pep talk to
Bayern’s players, it is Buffon, not manager Massimiliano Allegri that is
giving Juventus’ players their instructions.
Bayern
have done it! And yep, it came from a cross! Vidal robs the ball in
midfield, feeds Coman on the right and he whips a inch-perfect cross to
the back post, where Müller makes no mistake, nodding past Buffon!
Thomas Müller heads homef Bayern Munich’s equaliser. Photograph: Lennart Preiss/Bongarts/Getty Images
He’s pretty pleased about that. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
86 min: Bayern keeping the ball nicely, passing the ball back to Neuer. Just what are they doing? There’s four minutes left! “I
agree with you (70 min) and the manner in which Bayern have managed to
scrape their goal (72 min) that Guardiola needs to channel his inner Sam
Allardyce for the rest of this match,” emails Peter Oh. “Route One
balls to Lewandowski and Müller. Repeat! Ab sofort and ad nauseam!”
84 min: He may not have had the most glamorous
of games, save for his flick-dragback earlier, but Alex Sandro has been a
monster tonight. Playing left-wing, he’s helped out Evra all night, and
is at it again to cover and cut in front of Coman, who fouls the
Brazilian.
81 min: Pep
is bouncing round his technical area like Greg Rutherford on speed. He
can’t stand still, and is shouting lots of things in German, none of
which I understand. I think he’s saying: “attack.”
79 min: Buffon again relieves the pressure for Juventus, coming to claim a cross. At least Bayern have finally found a route to goal: get the ball wide and into the box!
77 min: Vidal tries his luck from range, but
he’s way off target. That is poor decision making from the Chilean.
You’re not beating Buffon from there anyway.
74 min: For the first time in this match, Juventus
are looking nervy, simply hacking the ball clear whenever they get it. A
relentless stream of Bayern attacks await. The home crowd have found
their voice, too. One more Bayern goal, and we’ll have extra time!
Bayern
score – you guessed it – from a cross. Coman does exceptionally well to
chase down a ball he had no right to get from the byline, cuts the ball
back to Douglas Costa, and the Brazilian delivers a wicked dipping
cross to the back post, which Lewandowski nods home. Game on!
Robert Lewandowski, right, gets his head to Douglas Costa’s cross ... Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images
And Bayern Munich are back into the game. Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images
70 min: Yellow
card for Cuadrado, after colliding with Alaba. Bayern meanwhile,
continue to have plenty of possession and little end product. With Juve
camped on the edge of their box, they need to cross the ball! Stop
passing it sideways!
68 min: Penalty shout for Bayern! Lewandowski
gets to the byline and cuts the ball back. Bonucci is there yet again to
block, but was that with his arm? Lewandowski and Müller certainly
think so, but the referee gives a corner, which is terribly taken by
Douglas Costa.
67 min: And here comes Juve’s first change:
Sturaro, who scored in the first leg, comes on for Khedira. In the
library that is the Allianz Arena, you can hear Juve’s fans loud and
clear, singing Khedira’s name.
66 min: David
Brennan has weighed in on Pep: “Glad to see him gone. Too OCD and not
suited to German football plus he destroyed the German heart of the
Bayern team. He took over a Champions League winning team and failed three years in a row (all in home legs).”
Bayern’s head coach Pep Guardiola cuts a disconsolate figure. Photograph: Matthias Schrader/AP
64 min: I’m surprised to see this but Juventus
are still running as hard as they did in the first half. They surely
must run out of steam soon. Perhaps Massimiliano Allegri will make a
change soon.
62 min: Juventus are sitting increasingly
deeper. Bernat has a snapshot inside the Juve box but there are just too
many bodies, and Hernanes hacks the ball clear.
60 min: Bayern make their second change: Coman coming on for Xabi Alonso. The former Juventus youngster set up three of Bayern’s five goals at the weekend against Werder Bremen.
59 min: If Juventus
don’t progress here, they will be kicking themselves. As well as Morata
has played, he has also missed three gilt-edged chances, whilst
Cuadrado also should have buried his chance at the end of the first
half. What’s more, replays from another angle show that Morata’s
disallowed goal earlier was actually onside!
57 min: Two golden chances for Morata! Both are
all his own work: first he outpaces and strong-arms Alaba (just what is
going on with the Austrian tonight?!) cuts past Kimmich but his
left-footed shot is straight at Neuer. Not a minute later, Morata is at
it again, this time cutting on his right foot, ghosting past Lahm and
shooting on goal from eight yards out. It is deflected over, owing to a
last-ditch slide tackle from Alaba. It was a certain goal if the Bayern
defender didn’t get anything on it.
55 min: Meanwhile,
in Barcelona, the comeback is on! Sort of. Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny has
scored an absolute peach of a goal to make it 1-1 on the night, and 3-1
on aggregate. Follow the action with Scott Murray, if you are foolish
enough to turn away from this game:
53 min: Yet another yellow card! Bonucci this time after he took matters into his own hands to stop a dangerous Bayern counter-attack. “Whilst
he might now be past his very best, surely only the hardest of hearts
would deny Gigi Buffon a UCL winners medal before he retires- aside from
anything else, have you ever noticed just how happy he looks when he’s
doing the pre-match pleasantries?! What a guy! Hardened regards (in keeping with the Morrissey references) James A. Crane”
51 min: Lewandowski, who was winded moments
earlier after a collision with Alex Sandro, catches Evra from behind.
He’s the latest to go into the book, despite the protests from the Pole.
49 min: Just as in the first half, Juventus
are the far better team in these opening moment of the second half.
First to everything and Alex Sandro is giving Lahm something to think
about on the left with some of that Brazilian flair. Dragback + flick =
woof.
47 min:
The latin blood is up! Vidal and Cuadrado go for a 50/50 ball, both go
studs up and although there is little to no contact, Vidal stands over
Cuadrado wagging his finger angrily and telling the Colombian exactly
what he thinks. Yellow card. Handbags ensue, and in the aftermath,
Lichtsteiner is also shown a yellow card.
Bayern’s Arturo Vidal and Juventus’ Juan Cuadrado, left, and Juventus’
Stephan Lichtsteiner have an difference of opinion. Photograph: Kerstin
Joensson/AP
It’s handbags o’clock. Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters
Peeeeeep! We’re off again. Bayern have made one
change: Bernat coming on for Benatia, who had a torrid time against
Pogba and Morata in that first half.
Fact attack: tonight’s referee, Jonas Eriksson,
is one of the richest people on the pitch: he’s worth about £6m, after
selling his stake in a sports media rights business in 2011.
Half-time reading: Cuadrado
has been just one of the star performers in this first half. Something
from the archives: here’s how he made his way to Italy (before signing
for Chelsea last year)
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) March 16, 2016
"Give me an H!" - celebrating up close with @esmuellert_ 😆 #FCBJuve pic.twitter.com/Rkk4QTDLMU
No comments: